


Scolaris Filia (The Scholar's Daughter)

by FC2000



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Alternate Universe - Ancient Rome, F/M, Female Hange Zoë, Forbidden Love, Nudity, Slave Levi, gladiator, if you're into that kind of thing (shrugs), love my Levihan with a side of angst, mild take on ancient times, new and improved summary ;)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-17
Updated: 2020-09-17
Packaged: 2021-03-03 00:01:38
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 28,920
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24225514
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FC2000/pseuds/FC2000
Summary: Tidbits of Levihan in an Ancient Rome setting.  And it all starts with a bath.
Relationships: Hange Zoë & Levi, Hange Zoë/Levi
Comments: 73
Kudos: 190





	1. Metus Aqua

**Author's Note:**

> Welcome to my newest plot bunny. Eh...I'm still figuring out the plot for this story or if this will just be a one-shot. So we'll see where it goes.
> 
> Important disclaimer: I am NOT an Ancient Rome expert. I'm doing mild research on the internet (using a translator site for latin terms) while watching the HBO show Rome for inspiration. So historically accurate isn't exactly this.

His life had been bound by the chain since birth. It was in his blood, his mother having been a slave of the flesh. After her passing, Levi had become more hopeful when a 'so-called' uncle took him in, believing that the man would provide for him his eventual freedom.

But this so-called uncle had ulterior motives. And soon, a young Levi was abandoned with a massive debt that he could not pay...one that would keep him indebted from one master to another. His dream...his hope of buying his freedom...got farther and father away from him.

It all left Levi bitter. Such a personality would not be well accepted by any master, but Levi was not one to fake complacency like all the other slaves around him.

And he had cruel masters, masters that worked him harder than any animal. The scars on his back were marks of his strength but also shame.

He despised being tossed around from home to home like an old rag. He had to hide his discomfort with being put on display at every slave auction.

This misery brought him to his current master, a scholar in Pompeii. How someone who considered himself educated would have no qualms about owning slaves, Levi would never know.

But soon he understood why he was bought. The other slaves in the household were few and aging, mostly women who were unlikely to know freedom before they die.

It made Levi wonder if that would also be his fate.

He was mostly tasked with keeping the villa in order. The scholar took note of, and became quite impressed with, Levi's knack for cleanliness. This surprised him. Never in his years of forced servitude had he ever been complimented.

Then came the time when the scholar felt unwell and asked Levi to concoct him a drink that would soothe his senses. It was hard to find anything in the villa that was non-alcoholic. Fortunately Levi had learned to create a unique drink for himself that was exactly what the scholar ordered. Every week Levi would go to the marketplaces to acquire the rarest herbs from the furthest eastern regions of the empire. Then he would mix them in a cup of hot water. The drink helped him get through the roughest of times and gave him a good boost when he wasn't at his physical best.

Although, he did fear how the scholar would take it. Years of experience prepared Levi for a possible lashing that could come from any master being dissatisfied with his efforts.

“By the gods, Levi!” the scholar said. “I've never had something so marvelous and yet so calming. My voice has never felt so at ease.”

It was easy for Levi to keep his emotions in check. The scholar's approval did not move him as much as he hoped it would. It didn't change his circumstances.

But at least it meant that he was still in his master's good graces...for now anyway.

He dared not to be optimistic about his situation. But then he began to hear alluring music within the walls of the villa...the strings of a lyre being plucked. The melody was rather soothing and helped Levi get through the work of each day. As much as he wanted to know where the music was coming from or who was playing it, there were certain rooms in the villa which he was not allowed to enter.

He soon would get his answer.

“My daughter, Hange,” said the scholar. “Isn't she a talented one? She could play for the Emperor if she was more willing to step foot out into the world.”

Hange.

The woman was a literal rarity. The villa was not so big that she would go unseen. But it might have been easier to spot a winged-horse.

She was known to confine herself to mostly her chambers or the back garden, and not by anyone's bidding. She never appeared in gatherings at the home, but would play music from her room instead to keep the guests entertained. Her chamber, they say, was scattered with scrolls that she used to pass the time, pursuing the same knowledge her father made a living inquiring.

The other slaves considered her an odd duck. The rare times when Hange did step out of her room only seem to make her shake and sweat. She seemed to have a fear of the outside world...of other people...or something that Levi was not aware of.

Only a few times had Levi gotten a brief glimpse of her in passing. And despite her eccentricities, there was no denying that she was quite beautiful. Yet the slaves say she was a lot of work to take care of.

So as curious as Levi was about her, as much as he wanted to know more about this strange woman, he knew that she was to be left to the others. He had his restricted place within the home for however long he was going to be there.

Perhaps the gods had other plans in store for Levi.

One day, he had overheard the scholar speaking to Hange. “I assure you, daughter. The seas are quite calm this part of the year. Won't you at least consider it?”

It appeared that the scholar and his wife were leaving for Londinium. Despite their best efforts, they could not convince Hange to come along. They were to be gone for a few months, and Levi was concerned that was far too long to leave Hange alone with just the slaves.

Still, she must have somehow convinced her parents that she could manage on her own. The young recluse could send the slaves out to gather what she needed anyway. She convinced herself it would turn out okay.

Less than a week after her parents sailed out, however, a plague hit the city.

Citizens, rich and poor...slave and freeman...were all falling ill and bodies were collecting in the streets. To venture out of the villa would be too risky. Fortunately, Levi wisely prepared in gathering up essentials before things turned for the worse...

Worse being the other slaves in the house falling ill.

They were quarantined in the very same slave quarters that Levi shared with them. Soon, he was the only one in good health. He didn't think it was because the gods favored him. From his view, it was quite the opposite.

He was now alone in having to keep to all the regular duties of the home, while doing his best to help the other slaves from dying in their beds and protect himself from infection in the process.

The nights in the villa were becoming more eerily quiet. One night, as Levi was tending to the atrium, he heard footsteps coming from the direction of the cucina. Last he checked, none of his fellow slaves were in any condition to get up and move around. They couldn't be that desperate, could they?

He heard even more commotion followed by more footsteps that seemed to be exiting to the back door of the villa, leading to the slave quarters.

Levi found this suspicious. He had no choice but to follow.

His pursuit quickened once he got outside and saw a shadow heading back to the slave quarters carrying an oil lamp and a bowl of fruit.

The moonlight revealed a shimmering turquoise tunic coming off of the shadow.

He couldn't believe it was her, particularly because he was not use to seeing her outside her chambers. 

His thoughts were cut short by her hand touching the door to the slave quarters.

“What are you doing?!” 

Hange jumped back having been startled by Levi. They both winced at the sound of crashing pottery. The ground was now littered with the remnants of the oil lamp and the fruit bowl Hange had in her hands moments ago.

“Tch,” Levi said. He instantly went to work picking up the pieces.

“I...I'm sorry,” said Hange nervously. “Please let me...”

But Levi waved his hand shooing her away before she could even bend over. “What are you doing out here?” he asked her again, more agitated than normal.

“I was just trying to help. I know the other servants are sick. I thought if I gave them this...”

“It would be foolish of me to let you go in there. If you were to become ill...”

“That would be on me, wouldn't it?” she asked him. “I've read all about plagues. But I can't just sit around and do nothing while the servants are dying. I'm only doing what my parents...”

“Your parents would want you to remain healthy and safe,” said Levi. In truth, the last thing Levi wanted was to be held accountable if Hange were to become infected. He feared the punishment would be dire. “I can tend to them safely.”

“You have so much to do around here already.”

“As is my duty,” was all Levi could say.

Hange watched Levi sweep away the last of the broken pottery then turned to head back towards the villa.

“Hange?”

She looked back at Levi.

“Forgive me for intruding,” said Levi. “But I must ask...why do you call us 'servants'? Are you afraid to refer to us as we truly are?”

She could not look into Levi's eyes. “I...I've never been comfortable with it,” she managed to stutter. “I know I've been around it my whole life...everyone I know owning...well, I never believed that people should be owned like property.”

Levi could not respond to her. He felt he was already crossing a line just speaking to her. Yet he could not help but have a sense of admirable respect for the words she spoke.

He was already attending to her meals, keeping three trays a day near her chamber door. But now, he would add something special to it, be it a rare spice or a fancy garnish.

The music of Hange's lyre would echo through the villa, providing Levi solace and company. 

“Levi?”

He heard his name from Hange's chambers as soon as the music stopped.

“It is Levi, is it?”

He got as close to the entrance as he could. “Yes,” he replied to her.

“Would you come in here?”

Levi hesitated. “I'm not permitted to.”

“Well I'm head of this house right now, and I do. Please, come in here and let me see you.”

Please. That was another word completely foreign to Levi. Reluctant as he was, he took a step inside. The vibrant colors of the walls and linens in her room made his drab-colored rags stand out. There really were scrolls all over the room as the other slaves had spoke of. They were even on the bed where Hange was sitting. The state of the room wasn't exactly in best shape since the plague began.

“You should rest a while. You must be so tired from all your work,” she said.

Levi avoided looking at her. “I'm very endurant.”

“How are the others faring?”

“They will recover,” he told her. “For now, they must remain isolated.”

“If you need to go to the marketplace again, I will give you whatever funds you need.”

There was a strange odor in the air that Levi could not determine. At first, Levi thought it was himself. There was no logical explanation. But he was a man who always kept to good hygiene, and not just to please his masters. 

He realized the smell was coming off of Hange.

Her hair was not as well kept as it usually was. Without her personal slaves to attend to her, Hange was looking less and less like a patrician and more like a wild man of Gaul.

The worse was that Levi could not say anything to her about it.

He heard Hange fumbling with the lalarium one day. She had clumsily dropped a candle which was rolling away towards the impluvium. Hange would not move to pursue it, seeming almost frozen to the spot.

Seeing that this was just part of his duties, Levi sighed and went over to pick up the candle himself.

“Sorry,” said Hange, as she watched him put the candle back in its rightful place on the altar. “Father says my eye-sight has always been terrible.”

“Perhaps you should pray to the gods for it to improve,” Levi boldly suggested (with a cinch of sarcasm). 

Hange seemed to not sense it. “We should pray for this terrible sickness to pass. Will you join me, Levi?”

Not one to refuse her requests, Levi knelt down by Hange's side infront of the altar. The stench from Hange was becoming more bothersome now.

After they prayed to the household gods, Levi tried to think of something to say. “Today seems a good day to visit the baths,” he said. He hoped the suggestion would get Hange to finally wash herself.

“Yes...I've never been though.”

His eyes widened. “You've never been?”

“If Alba were better, she would give me a sponge bath. Maybe you...”

“That wouldn't be appropriate,” Levi said immediately.

“Levi...”

He was getting agitated. “You are not a child. Can you not bathe yourself? There's a watering hole just outside.”

“It's not like that, Levi.”

“Do you believe the gods would favor you in such a state?”

“My state is perfectly fine,” Hange argued.

“I believe your father would insist on you bathing,” Levi replied. He didn't want to have to explain Hange's state upon the scholar's return.

“I will do what I please. Excuse me...”

He watched her get up and his next action had been done without much thought. 

She needed a bath and she was standing there with the impluvium right behind her…

It was meant to only be a slight push to get just her feet in. But Hange fell back first into the small pool of water with a big splash.

He did not expect for Hange to be flailing about in a panic and screaming. The impluvium was very shallow. Not even a rat could drown in it.

But Hange was losing control of her breathing as she quickly got out of the water. She was wet from head to toe now.

Once she was able to calm herself, she saw Levi on his hands and knees.

“Levi?”

He thinks 20...no 100 lashes for his ridiculous action against the daughter of his master. He would also likely be cast out. Or perhaps he would be decapitated like the heads of many traitors and criminals that were sometimes put on display in the city.

“Hange...I...”

Hange was still soaking wet when she started to laugh. “Oh Levi. How clever of you to try and get me to wash that way.”

“You're shaking,” said Levi. And he knew it wasn't from the cold. He kept his head down still.

“Oh…,” she said taking his hands into hers. “Levi, don't worry about it. You're not to be punished for this. I could never allow for such a thing. I nearly couldn't breathe when you pushed me in there because, as silly as it sounds...I have a fear of water.”

He finally looked at her nervously. “A fear of water?”

“Yes.” She sat down next to him. “Even this impluvium makes me nervous everytime I walk by it. It's why I try to keep to my room most of the time. Not even mother and father can help me with it.”

Levi did not find her fear of water so strange. It did explain a lot about her. What he did find strange was how casually she was speaking to him...a mere slave, about it.

“I must have been three or four years old. Father took me to see the ships sail in Herculaneum. I leaned over the port to see the fish and fell. The tide was really strong that day. Father said it was through Neptune's mercy that the sea returned me to the shore alive. But ever since then, I've asked myself 'what if I don't receive that mercy' ever again? I had far too many dreams of drowning since then. Even the bath houses frighten me. That is why Alba washes me with the sponge.”

Levi got up making Hange wonder if she had bore him with her story. He soon returned with a wool cloth he wrapped around her, drying her off. “If you wish for me give you that sponge bath, I shall,” he said to her.

“Actually,” Hange said. “I would like to see this watering hole you speak of.”

Levi took Hange out of the villa down a steep cliff the watering hole was well hidden at the edge of a wooded area. The trees provided shade and privacy from the rest of the city.

“I come here when we are short on water,” said Levi. “It's not deep at all.”

Hange nervously bent down to scoop some water in her hand. “Will you hold me if I go in?”

Levi felt incredibly nervous watching Hange begin to undress. Her father would surely have him crucified if he knew of this. Nudity was quite common in the bath houses, in the brothels, in many places. But this was a far more intimate situation than even the gods could have foreseen.

Free of her clothes, she reached for Levi's hand. The red on her face was clearly not from the sun. Levi held her hands from behind as Hange cautiously stepped into the water, one foot at a time.

She smiled seeing that the water only went up to her hips. “It's warm,” she said.

“Very good.” Levi gathered the wooden pail he brought containing the bathing supplies. Kneeling at the edge of the watering hole, he began to thoroughly wash her. 

When Levi was done, he was satisfied by the fresh scent coming from her body. “Do you still fear it?” He asked while drying her off.

“It still makes me nervous. But I wish to try this again.”

In the days that followed, Levi and Hange would return to the watering hole for Hange's baths. With each one, she was becoming less and less fearful of the waters.

And during that time Levi and Hange were becoming quite accustomed to each other. Hange was able to see the lighter side of Levi, and Levi could see that Hange was unlike any other woman in Roman society. The gods would think unusual that the two of them could relate to one another as if they were equals.

But those days were short-lived as the plague ended and the other slaves recovered. They could not return to the watering hole anymore if they wanted to avoid any suspicions. Levi was back to his normal duties which placed him at a distance from Hange once more, but not so much as they were before. Hange would find time to have small talk and brief conversation with Levi during his less busier times. 

And now, whenever Hange played her lyre, Levi liked to think she was playing for him.

He continued to make sure her meals were special, even creating for her the very drink that had impressed her father so. He also offered to keep Hange's room tidied whenever she needed it.

“Levi,” Hange called out to him outside the cucina. The other slaves were surprised to see Hange up and about. “Will you tend to the flowers in the peristylium?”

Levi sensed that to be an unusual request as it was already late at night. Plus, it was not part of his usual duties. He went out to the gardens where Hange followed him to his surprise. She looked around making sure they were alone. “My parents are to return tomorrow. But there is something I wanted to give to you.”

To Levi's surprise, Hange placed in his hand a small flower with a white bulb of only three petals.

“Unusual,” said Levi.

“It is a milk flower,” said Hange. “A promise flower as they call it. Consider this my promise to you when I one day become mistress of this house, that I will see to your immediate freedom.”

Levi was stunned. “Hange...I...you can not be burdened with such an impossible promise.”

“Who says it's impossible?” she asked him. “You have been too good, too patient, a friend to me since my parents have been gone. You should be given something in return for it.”

“I am not to be given anything,” said Levi.

Hange stunned him even more by touching his arm. “You forget, Levi, that I do not bind myself to the standards of a common patrician. Have faith.”

She had already retired for the night while Levi remained where he stood, still dumbfounded by the existence that was Hange. 

He was determined to work harder to serve the scholar upon his return, now that he had a reason, a very big reason, to hold onto his position in the home.

...

Hange's parents eventually returned shortly before Neptunalia as they said they would. And Hange ended up surprising them when she said that she would go to take part in the festivities. 

She had gone off with her mother for several days. In the marketplace, she tried to find a present for Levi and would also bring back to him stories of her experiences having gone out of town for the first time in very long.

Moreso, she wanted to thank him. She would have kept to her chambers still if not for his companionship.

“Father, where is Levi?” she asked when trying to look for him.

“Levi?” the scholar said confused. “Ah yes, the short pouty one. I'm afraid he is no longer with us.”

Hange was confused. “What? What do you mean?”

“Ah, when you were gone, I came across a man in town who took a great interest in Levi. Offered me a great sum for him. I shall miss him, but we needed to replace the others soon anyway. Alba doesn't have many years left, you know. So I took on his offer. He assured me that Levi would be in good hands.”

Hange was shaken. Levi was gone. Gone and she never got to say goodbye. As angry as she was with her father, she knew he could not held completely at fault. To him, to anyone else, Levi was just a slave.

She hid her emotions until she returned to her room and began to weep in private.

For hours she lied in her bed, where not even playing her lyre would bring her cheer.

Then she noticed something lying on top of it and picked it up.

The milk flower...the very one that she had given Levi had been left behind for her. And she understood his intention.

Levi knew that he could not free himself, but he could free Hange from the promise she had made to him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Should I continue?


	2. Gladiator

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Damn! I am blown away by the positive response to this fic. Thank you so much to everyone! Guess I have no choice but to continue then do I? LOL. I'm still a bit nervous cause unlike my other fics I only have a beginning and parts of middle thought out for this but not an ending, yet. I hope my muse kicks in by that time though. And it should hopefully be less stressful for me to have only one fic to focus on right now instead of two. 
> 
> So enjoy your Memorial Day with a new update. :)

**~*Two Years Later*~**

The hustle and bustle of Pompeii was still too much for Hange at times. She made the effort nonetheless to go into the city more often. But she had heard far too many stories of Pompeii's reputation being more on the seedy side making the situation all the more uncomfortable.

She saw this for herself. Amidst the usual public and businesses going about their day, there was also drunken lechers in the streets, prostitutes looking to earn their daily bread, and the possibility of thieves and pickpockets lurking about.

“This way, miss. I'll give ya a good time, yet!” said one loud and clearly drunk street-man, his fellow degenerates laughing along with him.

Hange was starting to feel nauseous. The street odors were already becoming too much for her.

“Over here, Hange!”

She heard the familiar voice coming from the nearby fountain. Finally, her reason for being out here was finally in sight and she pushed through the passing people and animals to see him.

“Senator Erwin.”

She greeted her old family friend with a peck on the cheek. “It's been too long, hasn't it?”

“Saturnalia at your parents' villa,” he said. “We're all still in shock that you came out of your room for that occasion.”

“Yes, I've been trying to change,” she told him trying to keep the thoughts of the past from her mind as they were too painful for her to bear.

“Now as I recall, you wanted me to inquire about a former slave of yours, a man named Levi?”

Hange did not want to keep her hopes up. It had been too long. “I assumed nothing came from it.”

“On the contrary,” said Erwin. “It appears I had unknowingly come across his path a couple of times back in Rome.”

“Rome?” Hange tried not to show her excitement. She would try to think of a way to convince her parents to let go there for a few days.

Erwin smiled, seeing what she was trying to hide. “Well, if you're that eager to see him, we could head on over to the amphitheater right now. He's only in town for a short while.”

It was impossible to believe that Levi was here. Her best efforts led her to discover that Levi had left Pompeii when he was sold off to a new owner. It made her lose all hope that she would ever see him again.

She followed Erwin along with other crowds piling into the amphitheater. 

“Not as grand as the one in Rome, mind you,” the senator said to her. “But they always put on the best shows here.”

Shows? This couldn't possibly be what Hange thought this was. She didn't think this many people were invested in theatrics.

She and Erwin sat in the booths closest to the center of the arena. Alongside them were fellow patricians and senators in town on holiday.

The crowd cheered as the games officially opened and muscle-bound men covered in armor entered the arena. 

From there began a spectacle that mortified her. 

People killing animals.

Animals killing animals.

Animals killing people.

People killing people.

Heads bashed in. Guts sliced open and even a few decapitations here and there.

The ground was splattered with blood and corpses and the people all around Hange were actually celebrating it.

“This is barbaric!” said Hange who was struggling to hold back her vomit.

“It's what passes for entertainment,” said Erwin.

The last of the bodies from the most recent fight were being collected. Then, a well-dressed man standing on a podium called out to the spectators. “And now, the final match of the day, the one you've all been waiting for. Our rising star whom throughout the Empire has slain 100 beasts and men. Descendant of the savage Ackerman tribes from the Northlands...”

The crowd was booing and hissing with disgust at the mention of the name 'Ackerman'.

“He comes to Pompeii briefly to shed blood once more. Make way for Levi the Slayer!”

The trumpets sounded, and the crowd roared. A gate to the north opened to reveal a man Hange recognized yet might as well have been a stranger.

But it really was him.

Levi had entered the arena.

His short height was still the same but he had built more muscle, far from the other gladiators, but enough to show how much he had changed in the past two years. He was dressed in black armor, his shield and breastplate was adorned with a pair of criss-crossed wings. 

Hange swore that he was missing a couple of fingers on the hand that held his shield. But what pained her most was that his face had been covered in distinguishing scars. The left had only a few that graced his cheek, but his right had a large one that slashed through his eye and down to his lips. She could not tell if it now made Levi blind in that eye, but it was deformed in such a way that made him seem less human. He showed no emotion, his face stiff as stone, despite the crowds that surrounded him.

There were cheers and boos, and in the booth next to Hange, a big-bellied senator was laughing. “Slayer of 100, him?! Mere rodents I take it! How small must be his dagger!”

Erwin called out to him. “First time watching him fight, Senator Darius? I say you'll be eating those words after you witness the spectacle.”

The announcer continued. “Armed with only a gladius and shield, he will face single combat against our local undefeated champion, the massive 2-meter monstrosity...The Titan of Pompeii!”

From the south, another gate opened and a massive being stomped its way in. The large man did not wear as much armor as Levi, except for a helmet that completely covered his face. But he had more muscle and had more weapons on his belt, bigger weapons compared to Levi's lone blade.

And in his hand was a large flail with not one, but three spiked balls chained to it.

Hange was horrified. Levi stood no chance against the likes of this being. It wasn't going to be a fair fight. Death awaited the loser as the other fights did. And yet Senator Erwin remained calm, as if expecting some marvel to happen.

Sure enough The Titan swung his flail at Levi without as much as a warning. He leaped back, the spiked balls just barely missing him. But the weight of the weapon's impact cause Levi to fall backwards and roll away.

He got back up to quickly miss another swing of the weapon.

The crowd was now getting restless. They started chanting for blood.

Perhaps it was pressure from the crowd or his life being on the line, but Levi quickly pulled out his sword. Using his shield to block the flail again, he managed to get close enough to The Titan to take a huge slice of his leg.

The Titan tried to swing his weapon again but sensing how weak his throw would be from his wound, Levi struck his sword at the wooden handle of the flail with all his might. That was enough for it to completely break apart in The Titan's hand.

The crowd went wild.

Before Levi could strike again, The Titan pulled out his trident. Levi could see that the spears on it were stronger and sharper than anything the gladiators were usually given. For the next several minutes, the two gladiators moved about the arena. During that time, Levi was able to block the trident from hitting him but the metal from which it was made was strong. It would soon weaken his blade if he kept this up.

The trident came at Levi again. He thought he had moved fast enough but unfortunately, the trident left a searing scratch on his shoulder. 

In that moment of immense pain, Levi moved quickly, bringing the sword down as hard as he possibly could on the trident. 

The weapon fell, disarming The Titan, but Levi's blade was now broken from the impact.

Hange jumped from her seat without thinking and leaned over the booth.

"LEVI!!!” Her scream seemed to echo throughout the amphitheater even though the crowds were still rambunctious.

Levi froze. 

Amidst all the noise and the cheering, he heard a voice call out his name...a very familiar voice.

Memories of a lyre and a watering hole were flooding back to him bringing him a sense of peace and hope he had not felt in a long time. 

He turned his head slowly to see…

The Titan took advantage of Levi's left cheek being exposed and slammed his fist right into it.

The crowd gasped watching Levi fall to the ground, blood spewing from his mouth.

Hange covered her mouth in shock. What had she done? She had unintentionally distracted Levi allowing The Titan to attack without even brandishing a weapon.

Levi struggled in vain to get back up. It didn't help matters that his back was now to The Titan and his one good eye was swollen.

This time, The Titan pulled out his sword, twice the size of Levi's broken one. Just as it the sword was going to come down on him, Levi managed to turn back just in time to block it with his shield.

It seemed to be a losing battle of strengths. The Titan's sword was pushing hard against Levi's shield, determined to crush him.

Hange averted her eyes away from the scene, unsure if she really wanted to see its outcome.

With one arm holding his shield, Levi pushed back as hard as he could. His other arm, meanwhile, tried to reach out for anything.

As the gods would have it, Levi felt his broken sword blade. 

He managed to grab it and despite his bad eyesight, he allowed the fates to decide where it would land as he threw it in The Titan's direction.

It landed straight into The Titan's jugular, right beneath the helmet.

The crowd roared again watching blood spewing out of the giant.

Levi felt the pressure against his shield quickly disappear. The Titan had dropped his sword.

In a move that would be seen as suicide, Levi freed his arm from the shield and got back up. He quickly grabbed for The Titan's sword.

As The Titan was about to throw another punch at Levi, Levi swung the sword completely decapitating the giant arm.

Blood was now spraying all over Levi, but he didn't care.

All it took was one jump and one more swing.

The Titan's head instantly came off and practically flew across the arena. Its massive body fell to the ground, causing a slight tremor.

Hange finally opened her eyes, seeing everyone around her cheer like they had never cheered before.

Finally, the announcer stood on the podium his arm reaching out in Levi's direction. “The winner and still star of the Empire, LEVI THE SLAYER!!!”

The crowd throughout began chanting. **“LEVI!” “LEVI!” “LEVI!” “LEVI!”**

Levi stood there, unable to see a thing. His face and clothing were covered in blood that was thankfully not his own.

Hange was relieved, but it saddened her to see him standing there exhausted and weak for someone who had just gained the love and admiration of everyone in the amphitheater.

Senator Erwin smiled. “Well, now you can say that he can fight blindfolded.”

The people began making their exit from the amphitheater. As Erwin and Hange made their way down, Hange could see the gladiators on the other side of a large gated tunnel

“I need to see him,” said Hange. She pushed her way through the people as she headed in a different direction towards the tunnel.

“Hange, wait!” Erwin tried to call out to her, but it was of no use as Hange disappeared into the crowd.

She approached the guard at the gate, hoping that being on the upper ladder of Pompeii would provide some sort of advantage. “I need to see Levi the Slayer.”

The guard seemed to shrug at her. “Gonna cost ya, lady.”

Hange sighed and then handed over all the coin she had on her person.

The guard opened the gate to let her in through the tunnel which brought her to a dark hallway containing many cell rooms. Light was only visible through small openings. Hange was led to the nearest open cell, surprised that she was even being allowed to do this.

“I'll have him meet ya, here,” the guard said. “Should I tell him to take his clothes off, now?”

Hange was confused. “Take his clothes off? For what?”

“So you can suck his cock, of course.”

“WHAT?!” she screamed. What the hell was this?

“Isn't that what you're here for?” the guard asked her. “I say, you pay much better than all the other ladies who've come to see him.”

Hange was speechless. He thought this was a…

“What? No...wait… I mean...just tell him to keep his clothes on!”

“Alright.” The guard left, but Hange could hear him going around the corner. “Yo, Levi, you got a private now. And I'm warnin' ya, she's a weird one. Wants you to keep your clothes on and everything.”

She realized that this was what Senator Erwin was trying to warn her about.

By the time Levi came into the cell, he had cleaned off most of the blood from his face. He was out of his armor and in a bland dark-gray tunic which solidified his status as a slave.

“So...it is you,” he said, after a long moment of silent recognition had passed between them.

“I-not-here-for-what-you-think!” Hange said quickly, in hopes of clearing any misunderstanding. “I...I've been looking for you all this time.”

“You've been looking for me?” Levi was surprised. Not that he had ever forgotten about Hange, but that he didn't think he was that important to warrant the effort on her part.

“Father said someone wanted to buy you.”

Levi looked down. “It was my fault. When you were gone, I accompanied your father into town on business. In the streets, I saw someone swipe coin from his pockets without him knowing. I chased the bastard down for several blocks. His friends were waiting for me, but I gave them all a good beating. Then I heard someone ask your father 'Is that man your slave?', and the rest tells itself.”

“Levi...” Hange sadly looked at Levi's hand confirming that he was in fact missing two fingers from his right one.

“Had trouble with a hippo in Carthage,” Levi said bluntly.

“Is there no way for you to get out of this?”

He shook his head. “My only chance is to keep fighting. I've been told the longer I remain alive, the greater my chances are of having freedom.”

“And what if you die in the next one?” Hange asked him.

“It is what it is. You nor I can change that. And I'm too valuable now to be bought back at any price. Therefore I think it's best that you accept that and forget about me. I'm not worth...”

“Don't you dare say that, Levi!”

“You have far greater ambitions in life to concern yourself with the likes of me,” Levi said, unable to look at her anymore. “I had expected you would be married or with child by now.”

Before Hange could respond, the guard could be heard calling for Levi. It seems their supposed time together was running short.

“How long are you here for?”

“Until the end of the month. We leave for Greece on the 26th.”

Hange nervously asked. “Do you think we could see each other again before then?”

He wanted to. More than anything. But it wasn't up to him.

“I'm restricted as to where I go outside of here.”

The guard finally returned. “Time to go, Slayer.”

Levi could see the sadness in Hange's eyes and it was too much for him to bear. For someone like her to have that kind of impact on him or to even care about him at all…

He knew his new owner would not tolerate him lolly-gagging about unless there was profit to be made from it.

So he left the cell. But he was determined that it would not be good-bye. There would still be time before that dreadful day must come.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The next chapter will deal with a major historical event. Can you guess which one?


	3. Eruptio

Levi didn't get much sleep.

He had been shaken out of his bed by a rumbling. At first he thought it was a guard or one of his bunkmates waking him for his daily training. But when he opened his eyes that morning, he saw the room starting to shake and everyone in the barracks jumping out of their beds in a panic.

Damn earthquakes. The local says it was the mountain nearby that was causing them, but he never believed that mountains did anything but just sit there.

At midday, he had gone to the restaurant across the street from the amphitheater to have lunch and a drink. It was now two days before he was due to leave Pompeii, and he had yet to see Hange again since their reunion a few weeks ago. The restaurant was as far as he was allowed to go outside the barracks and unless someone was paying for some special personal time, Levi would not be able to have many visitors.

Training would only keep him occupied for so long. It started to bother him that he really would be leaving Hange without seeing her again, without saying goodbye. Not that he would know what to say. They had their own separate paths to follow and nothing was going to change that.

She had been right about one thing. Death was inevitable for him in one of these matches and with the Titan of Pompeii, he got far too lucky. And each future match was going to get riskier as it seemed like his new master was intentionally making things harder for him.

His popularity with the people was empty and meaningless, not even worth the free meals and drink he was getting from those that recognize him.

Levi often wondered if the potential of freedom was even worth all this. That day in the streets, when he stopped that thief, was one that he often had many regrets about. 

The temptation to run off and see Hange was strong. He knew it would result in a dozen lashes at least, but it almost seemed worth it. 

Before he could ponder whether or not to pursue it, the earth began shaking again.

Levi took a sip of his drink trying his best to ignore it, but the shaking got harder, to the point where everyone was fleeing the buildings and running out into the streets. Levi was practically thrown from his seat during the chaos as he was sitting outdoors.

The people were now screaming and a deep boom could be heard.

Levi got up from the ground feeling disoriented and found himself being swept away by panicking crowds. He managed to hold onto a marble column and notice that a large number of the crowd in the street were all staring and looking up in one particular direction. 

He turned his head with them.

There, where the great mountain stood, a large massive black cloud was spewing from the top and traveling into the sky. It was slowly turning the blue sky a dark gray. Levi swore that he even saw fire shooting out of the mountain. Was that even possible?

Some stared, others ran. In any case, it was going to be hard for Levi to go anywhere in this mess.

Amidst the screaming and the panicking, Levi could hear a cry for “help!”

He pushed his way down the street, finally realizing the massive damage the shaking had caused. Debris was everywhere, and structures had collapsed. Some were barely standing on their last legs.

He turned a corner focused on the voice he heard and came across a completely collapsed building.

“HELP!”

The voice sounded like an old man's, but when Levi got to the scene, he could see signs of multiple bodies trapped amongst the wood and stone.

Even if there were more people to help, there was no saving them.

He tried his best to lift one of the columns but his strength was only good in a gladiator match.

“Is that you, Levi?” a voice asked.

Levi looked down recognizing the old man crushed under the column. His eyes widened in horror…

It was the scholar. It was Hange's father. “My how funny the fates are.”

Levi could not say anything. What was he to do?

“My wife,” said the scholar. “I've lost sight of her. She was right behind me!”

Levi looked over at the damage behind the trapped scholar. He removed some of the debris that he was strong enough to lift until he finally came across a lifeless arm sticking out from that he could not move. 

He recognized a bronze bracelet on the wrist...the one the scholar's wife always wore. Her favorite…

The scholar, having heard not a single response, sadly understood. “Oh, I see...”

In that moment, a large storm seemed to be forming in the sky. The sun was disappearing despite it being midday. The dark clouds were raining but not with water.

Levi looked at his hand which was dirtied up with what seemed like ash.

Instead of raindrops, tiny flecks were falling from the sky. Upon further inspection, Levi could see that they were bits of dark rock. And it was falling everywhere.

“This is not good,” said the scholar. “I've read of these things, smoke that came from the mountains. I thought they were legends.”

Now it seems like the bits falling from the sky were getting bigger. The people were now trying to take shelter.

But Levi could not leave. He had to try and get the man out of there.

“It's no use, boy.”

Levi wasn't listening. This was Hange's father, he kept telling himself, as his arms strained to lift the unmovable stone.

The scholar was feeling weak. He knew his time was running out. “Listen to me. This is going to get much worse. I can sense it. Master I may be no more. But I beg of you to fulfill my last request. Go to my daughter and get her out of the city! Please...”

Levi finally gave up on the debris. The scholar's last breath came sooner than he had expected but his final words were still ringing in his head.

The falling rocks were getting bigger. The skies were getting darker.

Hange.

He had to get to Hange.

For a second, he had to consider how his new master would punish him for going off like this. But who's to say that he, that anyone, would be alive when this was all over?

He would leave it to Hades. His priorities had changed now.

Levi grabbed the bronze bracelet from the body of the scholar's wife. Then he started making his way through the panicked streets. 

Looking all around him as he ran, it truly did seem like the gods were bringing about the end of the world. The entire city was being covered in darkness and destruction. 

The pebbles were not only getting bigger but warmer as well. A big one could easily strike Levi in the head, but he wasn't going to let that stop him.

He was thankful to still remember where Hange lived. All he could do now was hope that she was there.

As the scholar had predicted, the situation seemed to be getting worse and worse by the minute. The city became covered in ash. The rocks filling the streets were making it harder for Levi to get to his destination.

But he wasn't giving up.

After half an hour's running, he was almost at the villa. But then he heard another rumbling. 

He looked to the mountain.

It was coming to life again. Not only was more smoke bursting through but now the large burning rocks were flying across the sky colliding with any building it came across. 

More people were now flooding the streets hoping to escape the unfolding disaster.

The first thing that greeted Levi as he got to the villa, were several horses running in his direction. He got out of the way just in time as they sped past him, hoping to find their own escape.

Levi still recognized those horses after all these years. He had been responsible for a brief time for their care.

He came upon the horse stables, now badly damaged from the unfolding disaster. Small fires were already starting to form all around. Only one horse remained trapped in its stall, neighing wildly.

“HANGE!!!” Levi called out.

He almost did not see the pile of broken wood moving nearby, almost breathing. His heart skipped a beat before he hurried over to move away some of the wood, which was thankfully light.

Hange was barely conscious when Levi finally pulled her out.

“Hange!”

With one eye completely covered in blood, Hange could only see what she thought she was barely seeing with the other.

“Levi? Is that…?” Her head still hurt. “What are you doing here?!”

“Save that for later. Where are the other slaves?”

“I told them to make a run for it. I wanted to wait for...”

“We have to get out of here now!” Levi tried to pull Hange up but for some reason or another was unable to even move her.

“No wait!” Hange tried to pull Levi back. “We have to wait for my parents! They were only supposed to be gone for...”

“Hange...” Levi struggled with how to tell her. “They...they're not coming.”

The woman was silent. “What do you mean?”

“I saw them. They're...” He pulled out a bronze bracelet from his pocket and gave it to Hange.

The realization was slowly starting to sink for her. She was ready to fall apart right there.

“No...no...” she was saying over and over again. But the bracelet in her hand was truth of what she had yet to accept.

Levi, meanwhile was struggling to open the horse stall. The one remaining horse was their only chance of escaping this situation.

When he got it opened, the horse tried to make a dash for it. But Levi grabbed the bridle just in time. Now it was just a matter of getting the horse to calm down, a difficult feat. The animal was kicking and doing everything it could to get away.

Finally, Levi's strength overtook the horse's. “Hange, get on quick!”

But she wasn't moving. She was still sitting there on the floor.

Levi reached out to pull her up by the arm. For a second, it seemed that Hange was getting up only to slip from Levi's grasp and fall down again.

She must have broken her leg somehow.

He feared letting go of the horse. But he needed to. 

He swiftly went over to scoop Hange up into his arms. By some miracle, the horse had yet to take off. Levi was able to get her on and then himself.

“Hang on to me, tight,” he instructed her. “And keep your head down.”

They sped out of the stables and straight into a dark, smokey nightmare. The streets of Pompeii were becoming less recognizable to Levi from all the destruction that was occurring more and more by the second. He was struggling to lead the horse anywhere.

At first, he thought that maybe they should try for the coast, towards Herculaneum, as it was closer. But the risk of being trapped by the waters was too great. There wouldn't be enough boats for everyone to escape this.

Levi was never a true believer in the gods. Why would he be, given his life? But for the first time ever, he was entrusting them to find a way out.

Feeling Hange's arms around him gave him further motivation. He was going to fulfill his former master's request no matter what it took.

The horse was galloping throughout the city. Levi's experience with riding was only so-so and there were a few trip-scares along the way. He knew that one big mistake would spell the end for them.

They were racing against the increasing smoke and the rain of fiery rocks, falling faster now like shooting stars. It was a frightening moment when one such rock flew a few feet over Levi's head before striking the ground hard. 

He knew getting out of the city would only be half the battle. He wanted to get as far away from what could come as he possibly could. The horse was already getting tired, but Levi knew the further away they were from Pompeii, the better. Even as other escapees stopped to breathe once they were away from the smoke, Levi beckoned the horse to keep moving. The great ash cloud seemed to be spreading further than even he thought was possible.

“Cover your mouth!” he told Hange as the air became harder to breathe.

He began to wonder if there really was no escape. What if this cloud consumed the entire world?

For hours it seemed, they kept riding. Levi could tell the horse was loosing strength. He looked over to the side and realized that there was blood dripping from its right shoulder. It must've been struck without him realizing it.

“Levi?!”

Hange was looking behind her, gasping in terror. When Levi turned, he did not see any hills or any signs of the city they had just fled from.

Instead, he and Hange could see thick black clouds of ash and smoke, consuming the sky and ground rolling and roaring in their direction. He knew the flashes he was seeing in the clouds was fire.

“SHIT!”

Levi whipped the reins on the horse to make it go faster. It only did so for a few more minutes, and then finally gave way. The horse fell forward and Levi and Hange fell to the ground with it.

Eventually Levi got up only to see that the massive black cloud was still heading their way. 

“Come on!” He hurried over to help Hange off the ground and place her arm around his shoulder. They weren't going to get very far by foot, but it was clear that the horse was finished. They were on their own now.

Levi's years of servitude and gladiator training were to be put to the test. This was not where they were to die if he had anything to say about it.

Hange tried to move with him as much as she could. Levi was supporting her, but both her physical and emotional strength were wearing her down. It would have been better for him to just leave her.

“There!” Levi pointed towards the direction of a hill. “We'll go there and rest.”

Hange wasn't sure how much more of this she could take. She just wanted everything to end. Yet Levi was still pulling her painfully along until they got to the very top. 

And for the first time since the world started burning, Levi was finally able to rest and breathe.

The dark clouds of smoke had thankfully slowed. It may or may not reach them where they were. However Levi and Hange tried to look back to see what remained of the city they had escaped from and found nothing. Only darkness with flashes of fire and lightening here and there.

They also realized that they were all alone. No other sign of life in sight. But why them? Why were they the only ones to survive?

Hange was curled up in a ball sobbing uncontrollably, grasping her mother's bracelet tightly in her hands. 

“Hange,” Levi tried to call out to her. “We can't stay here.” He didn't want to take anymore risks given how unpredictable their situation was. 

He reluctantly placed a hand on her shoulder, but there really was no moving her.

Levi was used to having nothing. Hange was not. Everything she ever had or known was being devoured by that giant black cloud in the distance.

…

Hange couldn't tell anymore if it was day or night. She wondered if there ever would be daylight ever again. The air was becoming too stuffy for her.

She didn't realize she had been sitting on that hill for so long. It wasn't until Levi sat by her, holding an orange in his hand, did she realize how much time had passed.

“Where did you get that?” she asked him, unemotionally.

“There's a farm down the hill from here,” he told her. “They told me the nearest village is further east.”

He tried to hand the orange to Hange but she wouldn't budge. Levi then peeled the fruit and then practically shoved a slice of it into her mouth.

After finally getting her to consume half the orange, Levi ate the other half. Then he gently helped her up. They made their way to the nearest road.

“Levi, if everyone in Pompeii is dead. Does that mean your master is dead too?”

“Who knows?” Levi said to her.

“Does that mean you're free?”

Levi shook his head. “It's not as simple as that. Besides, dead or alive, you're more important right now.”

They stopped to rest again when they got to a large tree closer to the village. Levi's body was completely exhausted. It was probably night now and they had yet to get any sleep.

“If your master's alive, he could be looking for you right now,” said Hange.

“So what?”

“So...now is your time to escape! Don't you see? If you go now, they won't be able to find you. Here.” Hange pulled out a small bag from her pockets. “It's not much, but it might be enough to get you North before...”

“No,” Levi said flat out. “You expect me to leave you alone in your state?”

“I'll be fine, Levi. Please don't worry about me.”

“And where will you go on that leg? Do you even have anyone left you can turn to?”

Hange looked down at her bad leg, placing a hand to her bloody eye which remained closed. It was unlikely she would ever see from that eye again since a hot rock had struck her face there.

“I...I do,” she said. “I have a friend who's a senator...but he lives in Rome.”

Levi sighed. “That will take days on foot.”

“I know that.” Hange was yawning now and was leaning against the tree. “Please, Levi. Consider leaving in the morning at least. It's your only chance...”

She didn't realize that she had fallen asleep, not until she woke up and was surprised to see sunlight breaking through the clouds. The skies were still gloomy. It was quite possible the clouds from what was left of Pompeii still hadn't cleared.

And Levi was nowhere to be found. Perhaps he had already made his break. _'Good'_ , Hange thought. If any good were to come out of this, then at least he could be free in some way.

But then she heard a strange animal sound.

She looked down the road to see Levi returning, and being pulled alongside him was a small donkey. It was likely an old donkey because its legs were short and brittle and it was moving rather slow.

“This was all I could afford with that money,” he told Hange.

“Levi...”

“I told you I wasn't going to leave you in your condition. Now get on. It's a long way to Rome.”

With his strength, Levi was able to lift Hange up from the ground and set her on the donkey. Then Levi pulled at the reins to get the creature moving again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Their injuries should now match those currently in the manga (in case you haven't noticed).


	4. Via Roma

An eerie silence had passed between them, even though the countryside was filled with light and life once more. It didn't help matters that Levi feared they might be lost. There were roads all over the empire that could easily get them to Rome in a short amount of time. But having fled to the hills only left them disoriented and wandering about aimlessly.

More often than he should have, Levi looked over to Hange. She had hardly spoken a word, and it was clear that the trauma of seeing her family and home destroyed wasn't going away for quite some time.

Whoever this senator friend of hers was, Levi hoped that he would be able to take care of her. Once he got her to Rome, Levi would take her advice and try to make a run for freedom, even though it was going to be very risky to do so.

He lost track of how long they had been traveling until the donkey that Hange had been riding on suddenly dropped on his hind and just sat there.

“Come on, dammit!” Levi groaned, pulling at the donkey to try and get it back up.

“I think it's tired,” Hange said, almost whispering.

Levi sighed. He tried to pull the donkey again, but this time towards a lake that could be seen nearby. The promise of water got the animal moving just enough to get there.

When Levi helped Hange onto the ground, he realized that they both smelled of the ash that they were still covered in. 

“We should wash up,” he suggested to her.

Knowing that Hange would need help, Levi had her remove her clothes then gently lowered her into the lake, keeping her to the shallow end where she could sit on the rocks. He hastily washed her clothes before removing and washing his. 

Once they were hung to dry, Levi went to join Hange in the water. Hange took one look at him and her face flushed. She quickly looked away, not expecting to see Levi in the buff.

“What?” he shrugged. “This makes us even now, right?”

“Uh...yes,” Hange laughed nervously. “I guess so.” She had almost forgotten how Levi used to see her naked during the brief time he had in charge of bathing her. It was strange how she comfortable she could be around him like this.

“Here.” Levi grabbed a cattail and soaked it in the water. Then he used it to start scrubbing Hange's bare back. “You don't get clean just by sitting in the water.”

For the first time since leaving Pompeii, a genuine smile seemed to form on Hange's face, even if it was a sad one. “Just like old times, huh?”

Levi fell silent. The memories only made him think about the scholar. “I'm...sorry.”

“Sorry for what?”

“I'm sorry I couldn't save your parents. I tried to...”

“Levi, there was nothing you could have done. I mean, it hurts not knowing why the gods would spare me and not my family.” She was about to cry again, but tried to hold it back. “Maybe I've been too privileged. I should be lucky I even had parents, when you probably never known yours.”

“I remember my mother, a little,” Levi said, trying to cheer Hange up.

“She was a slave like you? From the Ackerman tribe, right?”

“I only know what she told me about them. The Romans wiped them out, and kept her and a few others for...” He didn't want to go into graphic details, not with Hange. “Let's just say death was kind to come to her when it did.”

…

They had been back on the road (whatever road it was) for hours when they started hearing a rumbling.

Then Hange realized that it was her stomach growling. “Sorry,” she said nervously.

Levi was starting to feel weak himself. All the money they had between the two of them had been spent on the donkey and a few basic supplies. He didn't think about how they were going to eat. Edible plants were not as plentiful around here as he thought they would be.

The closest thing to civilization that they soon came across was a vineyard. They couldn't exactly swipe the grapes from the vines but they could work for something.

So Levi approached the owners of the vineyard offering his services in exchange for food. The owners found it odd that a woman would be riding out in the country alone with one slave and no money, but they agreed to have Levi do some grape stomping for a few hours.

For him, this was just the standard manual labor that he was often accustomed to doing.

“Levi!”

He didn't know how long he had been at it, but he was shocked to see Hange limping over to him.

“What are you doing?” he asked her. “You should be resting.”

“I know, but I've been watching you and I thought I could help.” She took off her shoes. “See, my feet are just as big as yours. Can't let you have all the fun.”

Levi was surprised to see that for a woman, Hange did have big feet hidden beneath her shoes. Why did he not notice it before?

“I thought your leg was broken,” he said.

“I thought so too. I mean...I guess it's only strained, so I just need to keep the weight off it for a time.”

In either case, Hange tried to get into the wooden tub. She started to stumble forward, but Levi caught her by the arms. She felt her toes dig deep into the grapes. “Heehee, it's tickling my toes! But I can't see what I'm doing.”

Levi frowned looking at Hange's damaged eye which he had covered with a makeshift eye patch. “Seeing with one eye takes some adjustment,” he told her. “Just stay where you are and move your feet a little.”

“Oh...” Hange said when she finally felt her feet squishing the grapes beneath her. 

For a long time, Hange and Levi seemed to be in an awkward dance, between him trying to support her and the two of them trying to make the best of their chore. Hange was clearly having more fun than he was. Yet seeing her smile again after so long was starting to make him smile too.

They were soon exhausted but their efforts were successful. The vineyard owners were gracious enough to not only give them bread, but also a bottle of wine.

When Levi and Hange found a place to camp that night, they decided to take turns drinking from the bottle.

“We should be able to get to Rome in a day and a half,” said Levi. “Now that we kinda know where we're going.”

“Sounds great. Another toast!” said Hange as she took another swig.

“I think you've had enough.”

“No way!” she said. “We're just a little-somewhat-near-bottom-past-halfway this bottle I think...”

Levi sighed. This must have been Hange's first time drinking and she was proving to be quite the lightweight. He could see her swaying about, going with the flows of their campfire.

She was going to get a headache in the morning if he didn't do something. “Have some more bread,” he said shoving a large piece into her mouth while taking the bottle away from her at the same time.

“Mmphf!” she muffled but then eventually chewed the bread up and swallowed it.

It was getting late and they were both getting tired. Levi then went to working putting out the campfire.

“Leviiiiiiiiiiii?”

“Yes?”

“I was thinkin'...thaaaaaat...we shouuuuuld…” Hange hiccuped. “We should...forget about Rome. Let's just run away together somewhere...where we can both be free.”

“Are you not free?” Levi asked curiously.

“Not free to make my own choices,” she told him in slow slurred speech. “My father kept wanting me to get married cause he thought I'd never be able to take care of myself… Well he's right cause look at me! I got nothing now! I got no home...I got no money...I'm just...”

Levi went to grab the blanket and drape it over Hange. “Quit spouting nonsense. You're the daughter of Zoe the Scholar. You'll be back on your feet soon enough and Rome is the only place for you to do that. Now it's time for you to go to sleep.”

He helped Hange into their makeshift tent not realizing how heavier she felt in her drunken state. 

“Aren't you staying?” she said once she lied down.

“Someone's gotta keep watch. It's not safe out...”

Hange crawled over and grabbed the back of his shirt. “Don't be silly. You're just as sleepy as I am. Now, come lie down. Your ex-master commands you!”

Levi reluctantly did as Hange said. She was right about him being tired and their combined body warmth made the inside of the tent much more inviting.

As he settled in, he felt something strange on his nose and realized that Hange's nose was literally touching his. Her eye was also ridiculously close to his. The poor eyesight combined with her drunkenness gave her no sense of distance.

“Mmm,” she said, slowly closing her eye and yawning. “I wish you weren't a slave, Levi. Then...maybe...we could...”

Levi swore that her lips were moving closer to his own.

But then Hange stopped. Sleep had taken her without ever finishing her statement. Levi felt a bit stuck where he was, as there was little breathing room between them. He could also feel Hange's occasional snore on his face.

He thought it was going to be impossible going to sleep with the lack of space. But as he pulled the blanket up to cover them both, Levi couldn't help but stare at her sleeping form and strangely found peace with that.

He closed his eyes, hoping to share the same dreams that Hange had for them both.

…

The donkey was making a ridiculous amount of noise.

Levi didn't want to respond at first, but then he looked around and could see that it was still dark. He must have slept for only an hour at most.

The feeling of having realized that his arm was draped around Hange's sleeping form was short-lived. He felt a chill down his spine when he heard a new noise other than the donkey.

Human voices.

The light of the stars and moon shone through the tent and Levi could see two shadows moving by. “Come on!” Levi heard one man groan.

They were clearly trying to steal their donkey that was tied up just outside.

The noise was starting to stir Hange from her sleep as well, but Levi quickly placed a hand to her mouth motioning her to be quiet.

Now awake and alert, the two lied there and waited. Then Levi leaned over to Hange and whispered. “There's only two of them. I think I can take 'em.”

“Levi, no,” she pleaded softly. The fear was clear in her voice. “Let them take the donkey and they'll leave.”

But Levi feared they weren't going to leave with just the donkey. He had to make sure they didn't dare enter the tent.

“Just stay low and keep quiet,” he assured her. “I'll handle this.”

Levi kept an eye on the shadows moving outside. As soon as it was safe, he belly-crawled out of the tent. The two men had finally managed to untie the donkey and were trying to pull it away. He could only see their backs. This is exactly what Levi hoped for. He had no weapons, but his training and skill as a gladiator made him pretty good at fighting and disarming even when he was defenseless.

He waited for the right moment, lying there in the grass like a lion ready to strike. Then he leapt at the man closest to him. Levi was able to wrap an arm around the man's neck and then punch him in the face until he fell to the ground, grabbing his blade in the process.

He was ready to go for the other man, who seemed a bit fearful, but then Levi heard someone coming from behind and quickly turned.

It was a third man, one he was not aware was there.

Levi dodged his attack just in time. He tried to come back at him with his newfound blade, but the opponent held Levi's arm back. 

They were now practically arm-wrestling each other.

Then Levi felt something hit his head, hard and painful. His vision was blurry as he spun around to see the man who hit him.

A fourth man? Yes, but to Levi's horror, he saw even more...with horses, stepping out from behind the dark trees nearby that had shielded their presence.

_'A trap...', _Levi thought as his vision turned black.__

__

__Hange was too exhausted to stay awake for Levi, plus her head was still hurting from the drinking. She decided to go back to sleep, trusting that he was okay and would be joining her again in a minute._ _

__Somehow, she felt a hand over mouth and believing it to be Levi, she moaned, assuring him that she was waking up but remaining silent._ _

__It soon became apparent that something wasn't right. Levi's hand felt weird...and it smelled weird too._ _

__She was slowly able to open her eye, only to see an unfamiliar male face grinning back at her._ _

__Screaming and kicking did nothing as she felt multiple hands holding her down._ _

__“Now this is what I call a jackpot!” said an unfamiliar voice._ _

__“Come on. Let's get moving!”_ _

__The hand was removed from Hange's mouth. She didn't get a chance to scream as a gagging cloth replaced the hand._ _

__With her leg still in bad shape, her attempts to fight back against the strangers were in vain. They were able to easily tie her hands up and pull her out of the tent._ _

__Once outside, the terror really set in for Hange, where she was surrounded by at least a dozen men on horseback and even with one bad eye, she could tell that they weren't soldiers._ _

__An order was given to take everything from the camp and several men went to work dismantling it._ _

__Then as Hange was being placed on one of the manned horses, someone came carrying an unconscious Levi over his shoulder._ _

__“What do we do with him?”_ _

__“Dump his body in the river, then meet us back at camp. And bring that donkey with you.”_ _

__“MMMMMMMPH!!!!!” Hange tried to scream through the cloth, to make as much noise as she possibly could, in the hopes of waking Levi up from his current state._ _

__“SHUT UP!” said one man who struck Hange in the head bringing her cries to a halt. Her upper half slumped forward._ _

__Having gathered all they could, the men got on their horses and sped off, with the exception of two who were tasked with getting rid of Levi._ _

__“Dammit, why do we have to be the ones to walk back?” one complained watching the rest of his party leave. “We're not gonna get a go at her now.”_ _

__“Like we ever had a chance,” said the other. “Even if we didn't sell, the boss always get first dibs. You know that. Now get the donkey ready. I'll deal with 'Shorty' here.”_ _

__“You know, I swear that guy looks familiar, like I've seen his face somewhere before...”_ _

__The man carried Levi down to the river. He was unaware that Levi had started to regain consciousness in the midst of their conversation, but he was still physically weak to do anything other than think._ _

__Once Levi was thrown into the water however, the adrenaline rush in his body took hold._ _

__His head quickly came to the surface. In the darkness, Levi could see the hilltop from where he and Hange had made camp tonight._ _

__The entire thing was gone._ _

__Hange was gone._ _

__The man who threw Levi in was already heading back. Hearing an unusual noise, he turned back around only to see Levi jumping out of the water, with a rage and fury in his eyes that only the gods could have unleashed._ _

__He landed straight on top of the man, who was unaware that Levi held a rock in his hand._ _

__The man stood no chance as the rock collided with his head. More and more, Levi put his gladiator strength into bludgeoning his would-be killer. 'Kill or be killed' was the mantra of the past two years of his life. It all came easily to him bringing down his fist until a face was replaced by a crushed skull oozing with blood._ _

__Levi took no time to breathe, having grabbed whatever weapons the body had on it._ _

__“Hey, what's going on?!” The other man reappeared pulling the donkey alongside him._ _

__But then he saw the body of his companion on the ground, and then the soaked, bloodied form of Levi glaring at him._ _

__“Shit!”_ _

__He dropped the donkey and ran._ _

__Unfortunately for him, Levi was faster. He tackled the man to the ground, placing a blade to his neck._ _

__“WHERE'S YOUR CAMP?!!!” Levi yelled into his face._ _

__The man was too terrified to respond. So Levi pushed the blade a bit further, allowing a bit of blood to drip out._ _

__“I SAID WHERE'S YOUR CAMP?!”_ _

__“N-n-n-north!” a shaky wimpy response came. “In...into the mountains!”_ _

__To his surprise, an eery mischievious smile slowly appeared on Levi's face as he moved the blade away. “There now...that wasn't so hard, was it?”_ _

__The man being held down seemed to relax a little_ _

__And that was the moment when Levi swiftly slashed his throat._ _

__He collected his opponent's weapons. Knowing that the donkey would only slow him down, Levi decided to remove the ropes from the creature and set it free._ _

__The gladiator then hurried towards the mountains, armed to the teeth, with a thirst for blood on his lips._ _

__…_ _

__Hange was only half-awake, enough to be aware that she had been on that horse for hours. She only perked up when she started hearing less horse hooves and more laughter and even a bit of music._ _

__The entire group had arrived at a valley, where in its heart was a large encampment, with far more men and horses than the ones she had been riding with. There were also large tents and caravans scattered about. Even though it was the dead of night, many of the men were wide awake drinking or partying around multiple campfires._ _

__They started setting their sights on the returning party, particularly on the catch they had brought back with them._ _

__Hange was glad in that moment that she couldn't make out much visually. She didn't want to look into any of their eyes or even get an idea as to what they were thinking._ _

__“Get her off!”_ _

__Hange found herself being pulled off the horse and forced to stand on her aching feet._ _

__She felt something poking her back forcing her to limp forward._ _

__There was a pause when Hange arrived at a large tent. But what terrified her most was that to the side were several wagons with cages...cages large enough to fit humans._ _

__“Get in the tent!” a voice commanded._ _

__Hange was pushed in before she could even consider obeying._ _

__The inside of the tent was like a large room and there seemed to be an attempt at making it seem luxurious. It almost reminded her of home in a sense with all the silk décor and pillows. There were also piles of multiple weapons and other valuables._ _

__A scraggly man with long thinning hair was sitting on a fluffy chair in the center of the tent. He revealed a toothy grin at the sight of Hange. Clearly this man was the leader of this camp._ _

__“Well about time you found something!” He told the men behind her. “I was this close to putting your sorry asses in those cages and selling you off. Now scram before I change my mind.”_ _

__Hange paid no attention to the men leaving the tent. She now understood who these people were._ _

__They were slave traders._ _

__The leader came up to Hange and grabbed her face. He then removed the makeshift eyepatch. “Ugh,” he said. “That eye's gonna bring the price down a bit. But at least the rest of ya is gonna sell quite nice.”_ _

__Hange muffled angrily through her gag._ _

__“You say somethin', sweetheart?”_ _

__The leader then decided to remove the cloth._ _

__“Get your hands off me!!!” Hange immediately yelled._ _

__“Ooo. A spitfire! You'd be surprised how many wouldn't mind that in a slave.”_ _

__He started laughing. As scared as Hange was, she needed to think of a way out of this situation. Only then can she even think about whether Levi was still alive somewhere and how to find him._ _

__She started improvising. “Do you know who I am?! My father's a wealthy patrician. And when he finds out you took me, he'll have the whole Roman Army on this camp. You'll be sorry!”_ _

__The leader smirked, looking Hange up and down taking in every detail. “Is that so? You know this get-up of yours is local and that bracelet on your wrist...looks similar to the Pompeii style. Hold up, didn't that place turn to cinders a couple of days ago?”_ _

__Hange didn't respond. She tried to show no emotion. “And that dress you're wearing seems to have burn marks everywhere. Something tells me you're full of shit...that your daddy is dead...and that you're the only one to get out of there alive...”_ _

__The memory of her family's demise unfortunately gave Hange's face away, satisfying her captor. “Well, in that case, it looks like you won't be missed. Now how about you hand over that bracelet on your wrist?”_ _

__The leader got a knife to cut off the ties to Hange's wrists. As soon as they were free, Hange tried to pull her arm away to keep him from getting the bracelet. “No, please...” she softly begged. She couldn't let him take the only reminder she had of her parents._ _

__“You gonna be like that, huh? Fine, guess we'll start with the dress then.”_ _

__As soon as his hand grasped one of her sleeves, Hange elbowed him. But he was strong enough to rip the cloth, leaving her partially exposed. She knew she couldn't run, but she was going to try fighting him at least._ _

__He tried to tackle Hange to the ground but she dug her nails deep into his arm as she could until she got a reaction out of him._ _

__“Ow! You bitch!!!”_ _

__Hange managed to grab something from the pile of valuables nearby to throw at him, only barely hitting his shoulder. This time, with her options emptied, Hange tried to limp away._ _

__The leader got his arm around her waist pressing her into him, nearly crushing her._ _

__“Let go!” Hange cried. The pain was starting to hurt._ _

__There was a lot of noise coming from outside the tent. Sounds of screams, yells, and swords clashing. The leader ignored it thinking it was just his men getting rowdy._ _

__“Shit! It's Levi the Slayer!!!” a voice could be heard crying outside._ _

__Upon hearing the name, Hange knew exactly what to do._ _

__“ **LEVIIIIIIIIIIIIII!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!** ”_ _

__For a fraction of a second, there was silence, inside and out of the tent. Neither Hange or the man holding her moved. The noises outside continued, louder than ever, and then suddenly, the entire tent collapsed._ _

__Hange tried to use the distraction to escape through an opening, but she felt a tight grip on her waist that was still holding her back._ _

__The two of them were now standing outside instead of in, where they were surrounded by bloody bodies and the sliced up remains of the tent scattered all over the ground._ _

__And standing across from them was Levi, holding two blades and completely stained in blood. There were still plenty of men still surrounding him, ready to strike._ _

__“HOLD UP!” the leader called out._ _

__The men were surprised by the order but obeyed._ _

__He was staring at Levi and Levi was staring back at him...at first with horror, and then anger._ _

__To everyone's confusion, the leader started laughing, all while still holding Hange. “Never thought I'd see your face around here!”_ _

__Levi only stared back at him, with fury in his eyes._ _

__“Kenny...”_ _


	5. Reversus

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter warning for some really uncomfortable stuff that occurs in this chapter which I don't wanna spoil.
> 
> Let's just say Levi gonna need tons of hugs these next couple of chaps.

Kenny knew his nephew had become a famous gladiator. He just never expected to cross paths with him in his own camp having brought wrath and destruction with him.

The smile was soon gone from his face seeing the bodies everywhere. “And here I thought you left for good. Though I'd be more happy about seein' you again...had you not just killed half my men!”

Levi coldly pointed one sword in his direction. “The other half dies if you don't get your hands off her, now!”

Hange felt the grip Kenny had around her get tighter, all the while confused as to how these two men knew each other. 

“You know how this works, boy,” said Kenny. “It's the ol' 'Finders, Keepers' rule. I taught you all about that. Don't ya remember?”

He did remember. The anger swelled up within him that after all these years, Kenny was still in the business of catching and selling slaves. It was a shock to Levi when Kenny first took him in as a child. He couldn't understand how any Ackerman could become this after what the Romans have done to them.

“You hypocritical bastard,” Levi growled, thinking about the life he had to live...the life his mother was forced to live.

“Look, it is how it is...you think working to buy your freedom is easy? I just found a shortcut. If you had stuck around, you could have been freed a lot sooner. Don't blame me for the fact you decided to walk away from all this.”

Levi didn't exactly walked away. He just refused to play along...and as punishment or perhaps to be used one last time, Kenny had abandoned him to a man whom he had had owed lots of money too. Levi was left to pick up his uncle's mess prolonging his life as a slave.

“I've had enough of this,” said Levi. “I said let her go, now.”

Kenny's remaining men had been waiting patiently, ready to strike on his orders. Levi may had killed half of them already, but his energy would not be able to last a few more fights and he knew it.

Kenny smiled. “Tell you what? You fight me and if you win, and I'll let ya both go. Let's see how much of a gladiator you truly are. And if I win, I get to keep your lady-friend...and you won't have a say in it, 'cause of course, you'll be dead.”

The men were surprised. Was Kenny really going to take on Levi the Slayer alone?

“You don't want that,” Levi warned.

“We'll see.” Kenny then pushed Hange away from him and in the direction of two of his nearest men who were quick to grab her.

The two Ackerman men began circling each other with everyone else surrounding them as witnesses.

Levi refused to initiate the fight. Kenny was quick to grab the large knife he had hidden in his back pocket. He charged at Levi but Levi was quick enough to block him. 

“So moral,” Kenny scoffed. With his other hand, he grabbed another dagger hidden near his shoe and stabbed the lower part of Levi's leg without him knowing.

“Levi!” Hange cried out.

Levi should have seen it coming. Kenny never played by the rules. He was good at deceiving people. There was no going easy on his own nephew. Now his lower leg seemed immobile. The pain, Levi could handle. But his lack of strength was another story.

“Getting tired, boy?” Kenny chuckled. He tossed one of his knives aside and decided to grab for Levi's neck. “Don't need to slice you open like you gladiators are all about doin' when I can just squeeze the life out of ya!”

Hange was struggling hopelessly to break free of her captors to try and save Levi. She got more desperate when the color in his face started to change.

Levi now understood people who have claimed to see their life flash before their eyes. His only revealed misery and toil. His showed him already forced into servitude when he was still learning to walk. He rarely saw his mother. While he was out in the fields, she was stuck in a building all day where soldiers, politicians, plebeians...men of all sorts seem to revolve in and out of the place. It was only late in the evenings when Levi actually got to spend any time with her. Tired and exhausted, his mother couldn't move. The boy was all she had to wash away the remnants of her day's work from her body.

The night she died, he remembered there being so much blood. Levi struggled to clean off as much as he could, but it was more than he was familiar with. His mother, placed her hand on his. Few words were ever spoken between them. With this, she told him to let go. Moments later she would let go of him forever. 

Anger...pain...determination…

Levi could not die like this.

He threw all of his strength pushing back at Kenny. He somehow found a split second when Kenny's grip on him weakened. Levi used it to his advantage and managed to flip Kenny on his back, shocking all the men. 

They were now rolling around on the ground until Levi got Kenny lying flat on his stomach with a large blade very close to his neck.

“The hell,” Kenny yelled.

Everyone was in shock. Levi, as weak as he was, was able to overpower Kenny and have him pinned down with his own strength.

Kenny wasn't expecting his nephew to be this strong for his size. It was like he was being crushed by a boulder. And it didn't help matters that the blade was inching ever closer. There was no way out for him. “Enough,” he growled. “Go on and do it!” He'd rather let Levi finish him off than deal with the pain for much longer. “You don't win unless ya kill me, right?”

But instead of listening to his uncle, Levi wobbly stood up. Then tossed his blade aside. The man wasn't worth it. His point had been made. 

Kenny was surprised by what his nephew just did. Levi the Slayer would have surely finished his opponents off if the opportunity allowed it. And they weren't exactly close as family.

This would have been the perfect moment for Kenny to strike back but he was too weak now. He pushed himself up.

There was uncertainty among the men as to what to do next.

“Let 'em go,” Kenny said in defeat. “Both of them...and get 'em a horse.”

…

It felt surreal leaving the slave camp for both of them. Levi wasn't sure if this was the end of his dealings with Kenny. In either case, he wanted to get himself and Hange as far away from the place as possible.

Hange was leaning against his back, her head resting on his shoulder. He had gotten her a shirt from one of the dead men to cover up the top of her torn dress. 

“Levi?” she asked, almost whispering. “Are you alright?”

He was surprised to find her awake. “I should be asking you that.”

There was so much she wanted to ask him about that man, Kenny. It disturbed her how quiet Levi had been since they both left. It wasn't because of exhaustion either.

“I'm okay,” she said assuring him and wrapping her arms around him and eventually falling asleep.

The horse they were riding on seemed no faster than their former donkey. So Levi kept going into the sunrise. 

By early morning, Hange was awake again and already inquiring about breakfast.

But Levi immediately halted the horse.

“What is it?” she asked him. 

To the west, they could both see a small caravan of horses and men surrounding a single wagon. They couldn't tell what kind of caravan it was.

And after the experience they just had, they didn't want to take any chances.

Levi kicked the horse to get it moving, but it seemed that the caravan was advancing towards them, albeit slowly.

“Shit,” Levi muttered.

He decided to steer the horse in a different direction off the road. Levi was relieved when he could no longer see or hear the caravan getting closer. They would have to take the scenic route the rest of the way, traveling in and out of the hills along the way.

The countryside was filled with unhidden and untrustworthy dangers. Levi was just grateful they would soon be in Rome.

“HALT!!!”

They arrived at the bottom of a hill hoping to get water. Instead, they were surrounded by soldiers on horses.

It got their own horse spooked, throwing Levi and Hange off.

They barely got to comprehend what was happening when the soldiers lifted them up from the ground.

Behind the soldiers, the rest of the caravan they had encountered earlier arrived. They didn't look like bandits or anything like Kenny's group, far from it. It looked liked the caravan of a patrician accompanied by actual Roman soldiers.

“What's the meaning of this?” Hange demanded.

From the horse-pulled wagon, a large round man with graying hair stepped out, dressed in the most extravagant Roman linens, supporting himself with a cane.

Hange was fighting with the soldiers holding her but Levi was frozen in terror.

Somehow, she was able to break free and went straight over to the large round man. “We're just passing through,” Hange yelled at him, ready to kick him in the shins if need be. “You have no right to stop us!”

“HANGE, STOP!” Levi cried out suddenly. “It's my master!!!”

Hange's jaw dropped. She looked back at Levi, then at the large man who was now smiling. 

“Well, who would have thought,” the man said. “My finest gladiator back from the dead. I recognized that short physique of yours from a distance.”

“Y-you're his master?” Hange asked, still in denial.

“I am,” he said. “Or did he not tell you that he's a slave? Tell me, my dear, is he holding you against your will? Cause I can see to it that he is properly held accountable...”

“What? No!” Hange said. “I...we thought...”

“Oh I see, Levi must have thought I died back in Pompeii. Well, it seems the gods were good to me that day. I happened to be in Naples on business when the mountain erupted. I was to return for my gladiators that evening but it seemed impossible that anyone would have survived that catastrophe. It appears I was wrong.”

The man then motioned his guards to bring Levi forward. He pointed his walking cane at him. “Never thought to inquire about me? For shame! Escaping your master is a serious offense. I thought you, Levi, of all people would know that.”

Levi could not say anything. He wouldn't even look at the man infront of him, but instead kept his head down. He knew nothing good would come from him saying anything in the moment.

“Wait, please!” Hange begged. “Levi wasn't trying to run from you. How was he to know you survived?”

“And what business is it of yours...”

“Hange Zoe...daughter of the late Zoe the Scholar.”

“Zoe the Scholar? I believe I was somewhat familiar with him. My condolences for your loss. But I must ask how this slave came to be in your company. Again, are you sure this is of your will?” He asked, looking at the unusual roughed state of Hange's dress with suspicion.

“It is!” said Hange. “He helped me escape Pompeii. He was only trying to help me get to Rome to see Senator Erwin Smith and he's protected me along the way. I implore you not to punish him for that. He's done no intended wrong here!”

“That is for his master to decide, isn't it? In any case, I suppose a reward is in order. I happen to be traveling to Rome myself. So for having returned my slave to me, please allow me to assist you the rest of the way to Senator Erwin. You may ride with me in my wagon.”

He then ordered the soldiers to cuff Levi's hands

Hange was about to speak up in protest but Levi looked straight at her, shaking his head. His face was saying 'no, do not fight this'.

“He will walk the rest of the way there.”

The cuffs Levi wore were connected to a long chain that one of the soldiers pulled. Levi had no choice but to start walking. If he didn't keep up, he would be dragged through the mud. 

Hange was helped into the wagon, which was cozy and well decorated on the inside, much like the ones she had occasionally ridden back in Pompeii. Levi's master sat across from her and the whole wagon began to move.

It had been a silent and tense trip the rest of the way. Hange couldn't look at the man the whole time. Not that either of them were talking much. She only took the food he offered her because she had been starving most of the journey, but it only made her feel guilty that Levi was unlikely to be fed himself.

The only good thing about this man's company was that they were making good pace to Rome. They would be there before evening. 

However, the anticipation of having reached the goal and the excitement of seeing the grand city for the first time for Hange had vanished. This wasn't how it was supposed to be. Having traveled farther from home in her entire life, Hange hoped to savor this moment with Levi. But now he was forced to make the journey on foot and all alone. She was also concerned about the leg injury that Kenny had inflicted.

The caravan stopped at the edge of the city. When Hange stepped out, her eyes went straight to Levi, still chained up. He was exhausted and in pain and ready to pass out from having walked so many hours without a break.

She was about to plea with any of the men to give him water. But then his master spoke. 

“We must part ways here as I have a family waiting patiently for me. A few of my men will escort you straight to Senator Erwin's home. They know the way.”

Hange was given her own horse and was helped on. 

“And who do I thank for all this gratitude?” Hange asked. She wasn't really grateful, quite honestly. She just wanted to know the man's name so that she could inquire about him to Erwin as soon as she sees him again.

“The name's Forster, my dear.”

The horse turned so quickly, that Hange could only get one last quick glance at Levi. He could not look up at her out of fear that his master would not approve of it. It pained him knowing that he would likely never see Hange again.

…

Levi was surprised when instead of being taken to the Colosseum, he was brought to Forster's residence. He was corralled away by two of Forster's sentries to the empty stables where he was chained with his arms pulled up.

Having been in a situation like this before, Levi sadly knew what was coming.

He was forced to wait there in that position, all alone for hours, while Forster was inside his grand domus meeting up with his family again. It was already nightfall.

Levi didn't know if it was intentional that he be left like this. But finally Forster returned carrying with him a lit torch that he placed in its holder, providing the only light in the stables Levi had seen since sunset. In his other hand was a large sturdy whip.

“Think I've forgotten about you?” His master asked.

Levi again knew to keep his mouth shut.

“It's very disappointing what you've brought on yourself. You are my finest gladiator, after all. But this crime you've committed can not go unpunished. Perhaps an opportunity for atonement is in order.”

Levi couldn't imagine what he would have to do for his master to forgive him for a crime he did not intentionally commit. 

“An atonement match...yes...Levi the Slayer: live in the Flavium. The biggest match to ever grace Rome. Your opponents will be many, but if you succeed and win, then your crimes shall be forgiven and forgotten. Of course, you'll never be allowed a chance at freedom ever again, but at least you'll still have your adoring fans, won't you?” 

Forster smirked. Levi knew that a match like this would likely result in his own death. It was all this was leading up to, turning his execution into a spectacle in the hopes of filling his master's pockets once more.

“You won't require anymore training. You are well skilled. So until that time, you'll remain here as my house servant until the day of the match. Humiliating, isn't it? One of the greatest gladiators of the Empire forced to scrub floors once more.”

They heard the door open and a young man with red hair stepped inside the stables.

“Ah, Levi,” said Forster. “I don't believe you've ever had the pleasure of meeting my son, Floch.”

But Levi knew much about him. Stories from other gladiators spoke of a snobby brat who enjoyed treating the slaves miserably and even getting them hurt for his own amusement. He was sadistic in that way.

“This is Levi the Slayer?” Floch scoffed. “He looks too pathetic to be a gladiator.”

“Come, now, Floch. We shall see in his match, won't we? Now, I should give you your homecoming gift.” Forster then presented Floch with the whip he had been holding. “You shall have the honor of disciplining your first slave. It will come in handy when you inherit this place someday. I believe ten lashes ought to suffice but I'll leave it to your judgment.”

The boy was smiling wickedly. “Thank you, father. It would be my pleasure.”

“Don't be long now, and be sure to unchain him when you're finished.” Forster said as he turned to leave. “Have a good night, Levi the Slayer. You'll begin your house duties first thing in the morning.”

It had been far too long since Levi had any sense of fear. His life being as it was made him accustomed to the fact that he could die any day now. 

But being alone in this room with Floch became so unsettling, he couldn't help but actually feel nervous.

Floch meanwhile, was feeling giddy as he started to circle him. “You don't look so tough. How does one like you even get so far without ever being killed? I suppose it doesn't matter. Gladiators are nothing more than glorified slaves, anyway. Father says your escape attempt is worth ten lashes. But I disagree with him...”

He then walked behind Levi and leaned in on his ear.

“...I think it's worth twenty.”

Levi was not prepared for it. The stinging pain struck his back before he heard the loud whack. But this was not Levi's first time being whipped. He would be able to endure.

“Did you know that some cultures have a number for nothing? Which is exactly what you are, Slayer? Now we can start the actual counting.”

The next whips came in rapid succession. Levi began to hiss but he would not cry. He had dealt with worse, he told himself.

The only saving grace was that Floch was not strong and neither were his whips. But the pain still intensified with each occurring one. He could feel the back of his shirt opening up, and then his skin.

By the tenth lash, he was bleeding.

By the twelfth, he had unintentionally let out his first gasp of pain. 

He tried to think of anything else...of Hange...but it became harder with each new blow taking away his focus.

Floch's whips came with no rhyme or reason. Sometimes they would come fast. Other times, there would be only minor breaks between each one.

He had not been counting aloud. But Levi knew they had already surpassed twenty lashes.  
By the twenty-first, Levi finally let out a true cry, nearly on the verge of begging for mercy. He had never, in his entire life, felt this desperate for the suffering to end.

Five more lashes later, Floch finally stopped to breathe. Levi had been whipped a total of 26 times by this point. He started to breathe himself, relieved that at least it was all over. His vision was getting blurry, and he knew the pain and blood would be nonstop throughout the night.

Finally, Floch brought the whip to Levi's back one last time, making it as hard as he possibly could.

Levi cried in pain again.

“Oops. Guess I lost count around '14'. Oh well...”

Floch tossed the whip aside and then begrudgingly unlocked the chain that held Levi by the arms. Instead of standing up, Levi ended up collapsing and falling flat on the cold hard ground, adding to his injuries.

“Disgusting,” Floch muttered looking at the small trail of blood on the floor. “Clean that up before father sees it.”

He didn't care for or waited for a response. Floch had already walked out of the stables, taking the torch with him as he left.

The strength that once held Levi together had truly vanquished. The searing pain was the only company he had being all alone in complete darkness. 

He now understood what it truly was like to feel completely broken.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Press 'X' if you want Floch to die.


	6. Propositio

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this took longer than I intended. And I my mind is a bit blank on where to go from here. I mean, I have some ideas but they're kinda silly and and ending is still not 100% definite in my mind.
> 
> Anyways thanks for all the responses to the last chapter. :)

Senator Erwin had been shocked when the news first reached Rome that Pompeii, and several other surrounding towns, had been completely wiped out by the eruption of Vesuvius.

But what shocked him even more was Hange Zoe appearing on his doorstep days later...alive but roughed up, as if she had been on a trip to Hades and back. He recognized the men that accompanied her as security hired by his associate Forster, which left him with more questions.

Clearly, Hange was not in any condition to answer them. It took nearly a day, after she was able to get a good meal, a bath, and clean clothes, did she finally find the words to recall to Erwin her experiences with Levi, from the moment the disaster happened to their run-in with Forster.

When she was done, there was desperation in her voice. “Erwin...please tell me that something can be done for Levi.”

Erwin looked out towards his balcony. “I wish there was. But Forster has complete authority over him, and he is sure to be punished for trying to escape.”

“But he wasn't trying to escape!” Hange protested. “He was helping me! Surely he won't be charged for that.”

“I know Forster well,” said Erwin. “He's not gonna have his gladiators charged for a crime unless it was severe enough. Unfortunately, I could see him punishing them in the arena.”

“Punishing them?”

“By turning their execution into a show. Levi is only as strong as Forster wishes him to be for the crowds. He can easily set it up for him to meet his fate there.”

Hange gasped. This was wrong this was all wrong. And she didn't know what she could do about this. 

“I'll buy him back, if I have to,” she said determined. “I don't care how much it would cost. If he wants him dead...”

“Hange, even if your father did leave you something in his will, the amount it would take to buy Levi back… You'll be worth less than a plebian.”

“Like I care!” she cried. “It's not worth it anymore. None of this is. I'll never live with myself if I just forget about Levi.” 

She wiped away her tears, realizing how alone she was now. To think when she was with Levi, that Hange had nearly forgotten how she had lost everything. She wondered if her father would even leave her anything to live on, worried that her years of resistance to getting married might have denied her any share of her father's wealth. 

“Any will would have been destroyed in Pompeii, wouldn't it?” she asked.

Erwin got to thinking. “If I recall, your father had some ownership in several merchant fleets. There might be some record of it in Naples. It would be a far better place to hold any will or document for safekeeping. I could send a man there to look into it.”

Hange still did not feel assured. “Are you sure you can't speak to Forster? See if there is any other way?”

“Nothing can be promised,” Erwin told her. “This Levi...I can tell he means a lot to you. Therefore, I guess I'll have to make the effort on your behalf.” 

That made Hange feel a little better, even if she knew it could be all in vain.

“I need to see him again...”

The following night, Hange would get her wish.

Erwin was able to confirm that Levi was indeed working in Forster's home. He even managed to talk Forster into inviting him over for dinner, which was mostly just going to be the two of them drinking wine and discussing frivolous matters and politics.

But Hange would not be there. Her presence would be awkward. Instead, she followed Erwin to Forster's domus, wearing a hood over her head and keeping to the night shadows.

Erwin stopped just across the street from the entryway and so did she.

“The slave quarters will likely be around the back,” he said to Hange without looking at her. “You'll be on your own from this point. I'll have no way of warning you if my evening is cut short.”

“I'll be fine,” she assured him. “Thank you.”

“Wait a bit before you do anything.”

Hange shifted behind some bushes and watched Erwin head to the domus on his own. He was greeted by one of Forster's sentries before being led inside.

She didn't know how long she waited...perhaps an hour. She knew she couldn’t wait much longer and nervously tread to the side of the estate. Thankfully, there were no gates or guards to block her way. Just a tall hedge that she was determined to climb.

It wasn't an easy climb either. The branches weren't strong enough to hold her grasps for very long, and her dress kept getting caught and ripped along the way. Hange muttered every prayer to the gods she could, hoping to not fall or cause a ruckus that would alert someone.

She gave a sigh relief once she reached the top. The climb down was a little more easy going, but she dropped down too soon out of fear that the hedge she was holding onto was going to break. It was a miracle she landed on her feet without bruising herself, but she accidentally gave a yelp.

She waited...then proceeded to look around. The only lights were coming from the cocina nearby. It was too dark to see much else. 

But everything stopped when Hange nearly bumped into a shadow.

It was a frail old man, but by his dressings, he clearly was a slave.

Hange wasn't sure if the man could speak. She removed her hood, hoping to plead with him.

“Please…,” she told him. “Take me to Levi.”

The look on the old man's face could not be read in the darkness. But reluctantly, he raised his arm pointing out at the horse stables. Hange hurried over. There was more light now, thanks to the full moon. 

She noticed that the stables were locked and chained from the outside but the doors were made of rotted wood, with plenty of openings big enough for an arm to reach in. 

“Levi?” Hange called out softly. “Levi? Are you there?”

“H-hange?” A weak voice responded from inside.

At first only seeing darkness from inside the stables, a figure finally approached. Levi looked pale and his eyes were weary. How could this be after they had only been apart for a day?

Still, Hange's smile was wider than the sea. “Levi...”

“What are you doing here?” he asked her.

“I had to see you. I couldn't just… Are you unwell? Why are you locked up in here?”

“I...I'm required to return here at night after my duties,” he told her. Levi tried to turn away in shame. Hange realized at this point that he was shirtless and was wincing a bit in pain. Then she saw a glimpse of something unusual coming from his backside.

“What is that on your back?” she asked him.

“It's nothing,” Levi hissed. It wasn't his normal short-tempered hiss. It sounded painful.

“Levi, let me see.”

Unable to refuse her any longer, Levi turned, exposing the massive damage inflicted on his body from Floch's whips. Far from just scars or cuts...there was small bits of flesh unraveling where there shouldn't be. “My punishment...”

Even though Hange could only see part of it, she knew that not one inch of Levi's back had been spared.

She dropped to her knees weeping.

“Hange,” Levi called out to her. “You should go...”

“No,” Hange said defiantly. “Just wait there, I'll be right back.”

She pulled herself up and headed towards the light of the cocina. Hange managed to find the back entry. There were a couple of slaves cleaning up from Erwin and Forster's dinner, but this did not deter her. She whispered to them demanding that they bring her aloe, bandages, and some water without anyone knowing. 

Levi was surprised to see Hange return with the supplies in hand.

“Come closer,” Hange told him.

She was able to reach through the holes in the stable doors and apply the aloe wherever she could to Levi's back. It got difficult listening to Levi fight through the pain of her touch. But she tried to tell him (and herself mostly) that the pain would go away.

She then applied bandages to the worst parts of his injuries.

“Why the water last?” Levi asked. “'Should have cleaned me before...”

“It's for you to drink, silly,” Hange said. “Here...”

“I shouldn't...”

“Please, Levi. I can't bear to see you like this.”

Levi leaned his face into the opening, allowing Hange to bring the bottle of water to his lips. He let himself sip every drop he could from the bottle.

“You haven't drink?” Hange asked him. “Have you eaten?”

“You think they would let me eat after everything?”

Hange was becoming horrified and angry learning of how Levi was being treated. She went straight back to the cocina again. Levi wanted to warn her how severe the risks were that she was taking. But once Hange returned to give him some bread crusts, instincts drove him to swipe it all from her hands and devour the scraps hungrily.

“Is it true about your next fight? Is Forster going to make you die?”

“It's either I die or win an impossible fight,” Levi said pessimistically. “There's no other way out for me than that.”

Hange was about ready to cry again. Despite how bad his situation was, Levi could bear even less to see Hange upset about his fate. He tried to cheer her, sarcastically asking “I suppose it's too late to take up on that offer to run off together?” 

She could only give him a sad chuckle. “Then you'll just have to win then, won't you? I know you don't think you can, Levi. But I believe in you, 'Slayer of 100 Beasts and Men'. I've heard others even call you 'Strongest of Humankind'. A title like that...how could you not?”

She didn't realize her hand had been leaning inside the opening until she feel Levi holding it for the longest time, then gave it a peck of his lips, turning Hange's face red. This was the closest they would ever be again, he thought to himself. But he wanted her words to be true. He wanted to believe he could survive.

“Thank you, Hange. Whatever comes from this, I...I won't forget…”

 **“WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE?!”** a voice yelled from behind Hange at the very same moment she felt herself being yanked back by her hair. “WHO ARE YOU?!”

Levi scurried back a bit to see that Floch had appeared. Hange was already crying from the pain from how he was holding her. He angrily approached the opening again. “Don't touch her!!”

Floch snarled at him. “Ha. You don't get to give me orders, slave! Let's go!” He told Hange.

Tried as she might, Hange could not fight back against Floch's strong grip and found herself being helplessly pulled away from the stables, and from Levi. The pain was getting too much as she kept demanding him to let go.

Floch practically dragged her across the courtyard and into the house...and then straight into the very room where Erwin and Forster were sitting. They stood up at the sudden disruption.

“Father! Father!” Floch cried out. He brought Hange forward, still pulling her by the hair. “Look who I found in the stables conversing with that slave!”

The two men were stunned. “Miss Zoe?” Forster turned to Erwin. “Senator, I hope her presence here is not of your doing...”

“No!” Hange said immediately. “I...I know you told me to stay at the house. But when I heard you were coming here, I couldn't keep away. I wanted to try and find him. Forgive me, Erwin.”

The senator fortunately kept his cool, knowing the act that Hange was trying to play and did his best to continue along. “It's alright, Hange. You may let her go,” he told Floch. “Besides, it's getting late. I think we should both be heading back.”

Floch practically dropped Hange but Erwin was quick to help her back up. He said his formal farewells to the Forsters while Hange remained silent. However, it was quite clear to both Forster men that they did not believe the act their guests that evening had put on….

…

Each day of work in that house for Levi was getting more and more miserable.

A date for his new (and possibly last) match in the Colosseum was still uncertain. He didn't mind the house work, but he was still being deprived food and forced to sleep in the stables alone and locked up at night. It began to occur to him that this was going beyond his punishment. Levi knew he was being set up to become as physically weak and unfit as possible to ensure his potential death for the entertainment of the masses.

And just to top it all off, Floch was adding to the misery whenever he was around...sometimes insulting him, other times spitting on him…

Levi did his best to hold back any anger knowing it would only worsen his situation.

“So, slave...” Floch was leaning against a column eating a bowl of grapes. “I hear that you enjoy cleaning. So here...”

He dropped the rest of the graves he had on the floor by Levi's feet. But before he could pick them up, Floch stomped his foot on the grapes creating a smearing mess on the marble floor.

“Enjoy that.”

Levi had no choice but to get down on his knees. He pulled out the cloth that he had in his pocket to wipe away the grape stains on the floor.

“Not so fast,” said Floch. He brought his foot closer to Levi's face. “Get that crap off my feet, first.”

Levi bit his tongue to avoid grumbling while he wiped Floch's feet. As soon as they were cleaned Floch stepped away. Levi turned his head back. Normally, when Floch had him in a position like this, it was often to give him a kick in his rear when Levi wasn't looking. He wanted to be ready for it this time...

But instead Levi felt some form of liquid being poured on his head from above.

It was the remaining grape juice from the bowl Floch held. And now Levi's hair was partially soaked in a sticky grape-smelling mess.

He could hear Floch laughing as he walked off. Then Levi heard a thud.

Whether by accident or intentionally, Levi didn't know. Floch's side had struck a table with a rare Judaean vase on the verge of toppling off.

Levi's instincts kicked in as he dove to catch the falling vase.

He was a second, or perhaps of fraction of a second, too late. The vase still collided to the floor now having broken into two, and Levi had only been catching of saving the larger portion in his hand.

Even Floch was silent for a second. 

Forster came into the room upon hearing the noise. “What was that?” he demanded.

Both Forsters seeing Levi on the floor with the broken ceramic parts in hand, Floch was quick in his response. “He did it, Father!” He pointed at Levi. “He broke your favorite vase!”

“Did he now?” Forster's demeanor slowly changed to a cold one as he looked down on Levi. “Then I'll see that is properly punished for it later. In the meantime, you and I have manners of business to discuss. Get in here.”

Floch grumbled having to follow his father into the next room. 

Levi didn't know how much more of this he could take but what choice did he have? Wanting to take his minds off of things, Levi quickly finished cleaning the grape mess from the floor. As he contemplated what to do about the broken vase, he could hear Forster talking.

“I've managed to obtain the will of Zoe the Scholar from Naples.”

Levi looked up. Only a sheet curtain covered the entry to the room the Forsters were now in. Hearing them speak of Hange's father got his immediate attention.

“Is getting another person's will illegal?” Floch could be heard asking his father.

“They'll assume it was destroyed in Pompeii like everything else.”

This angered Levi. Why would they steal that will? What did the Forsters had to gain from it?

“I did find something interesting in the will that could benefit this family greatly. It seems that Zoe the Scholar left his daughter a bit of coin to care for herself. But he's also offered her all his ownership in the merchant fleets. The caveat is that she can only receive those shares on the condition that she is married and then the shares are split with her husband.”

“Unless you intend to marry her I don't see how that benefits us,” Floch said sarcastically.

“I don't,” his father said. “But I have someone else in mind...someone closer in age.”

Floch realized what he was implying and was horrified. “Father, how could you?! You want me to marry her?! She's old and she lacks a womanly bosom!”

“Come now, she's still well enough to provide you children.”

“With that hideous Cyclops?! I'd sooner throw myself into the sea! I'm begging you, father. Don't make me...”

Forster started becoming stern with him. “Now see here, boy. You think our wealth is going to last forever? Such an arrangement is our best chance at preserving our status.”

“Ha! And what's makes you think she'll agree to this?”

“She will,” said Forster. “I'll offer her something that I know she can not refuse. I shall head to Senator Erwin's right now to speak with her on the matter.”

Levi, who had been listening in the entire time, was fuming. Thankfully, Forster overlooked it as he passed by him and walked out the front door.

Floch was none too happy either after watching his father leave.

“She better be a good fuck,” he said to himself out loud. “At least then I'll get something decent out of all this.”

Levi had enough.

Without thinking, he took the large portion of the broken vase in his hand and struck the back of Floch's head with it hard.

He was not going to sit there and listen to this horrid man who will probably marry Hange (when he could do nothing about it) insult her anymore.

Following the crash, the two men found themselves on the floor wrestling and throwing punches at each other. Droplets of blood began to splatter the floor, but the fight still raged on.

The other slaves in the house peeked in out of curiosity but also kept away at the same time.

Despite Levi's strength and skill, it appeared that the Forsters' intent on starving and weakening him was doing its work. Floch was able to give Levi several blows to his stomach completely crippling his ability to fight back. He then dragged Levi outside and practically threw his entire body back into the stables and then locked the doors.

“So, you like her. Do you, slave?” Floch asked Levi despite being short of breath. “Well if it makes you miserable, then perhaps marrying her won't seem so bad after all.” He smirked at Levi through the opening before finally storming away. Levi was left to do nothing but bang on the doors in anger.

…

“I don't understand it,” said Erwin. “I was certain it would have been there.”

He and Hange had just received the news that the will of Hange's father was not found in Naples as they had hoped. It put Hange in a difficult position knowing that she now had no money and no other family to turn to. She could not live off of Erwin's generosity forever, and she did not intend to. 

She thought of leaving soon anyway (even though Hange didn't know where she would go). Staying here was getting harder and harder despite Erwin's slaves tending to her hand and foot. Unlike Forster, Erwin treated his slaves well, which only made Hange feel dreadful thinking about what Levi was probably going through right now.

“Senator,” one of the slaves called to Erwin. “Mr. Forster is here. He says we wishes to speak to Miss Zoe alone.”

This surprised them both. “Thank you, Nifa. Please bring him in.”

Nifa came back quickly with Forster. “Evening, I hope you don't mind the sudden dropping in.”

“Of course not,” said Erwin. “I'll leave the two of you to it. Surely Hange is not in trouble of any sorts?”

Forster shook his head. “Business, Senator. Just business.”

Erwin looked to Hange. She nodded her head assuring him that she would be okay being alone with this man.

As soon as Erwin was gone, Forster sat in a seat across from Hange. In her head, she wondered if he was here to confront her about her intrusion the other night.

“What can I do for you?” She asked nervously.

“I've actually come with a proposition. As I've mentioned before, I was only a minor acquaintance of your late father's. That said, I pity your unfortunate predicament. To have lost everything you hold dear in a single event is most tragic, especially for a woman in your position.”

Hange didn't like where this was going but she wasn't going to let it show. “I believe the gods will help me through it,” she told him confidently. 

“Yes. However, the gods can only do so much. I do have something for you to consider. My son, Floch, is of age and you are not yet wed. I'm aware of the age difference but perhaps it might be in your benefit for the two of you to marry. You'll be taken in by my family and be well provided for.”

Hange was shocked by what Forster was suggesting. To marry that brat who dragged her by the hair? And who was he to say what was in her benefit?

She had to put on an act again. “Sir, I am...honored by your proposal. But I don't think I'd be a good match for your son.”

“I believe your options are quite scarce at the moment, Miss Zoe. I would not pass off an offer like this, lightly...especially now when you have nothing to your name.”

Forster was starting to sound a bit threatening from what Hange could tell. Then his mood got a bit calmer. “There is something else I can offer to entice you. I see that you care deeply for my slave, Levi and believe him to be an innocent man. If he means that much to you...then as a gift to you for marrying my son, I will free him.”

If Hange had been drinking something in that moment, she would have been choking. 

“You...you would really free Levi?” she asked.

Forster nodded “...and I will do it before his next fight, if I receive an answer before then.”

Hange's heart stopped. Free Levi...before his next fight?

Her head was now spinning from what was to gain...what she could lose. 

“It is a lot for you to take in, I completely understand.” Forster rose from his seat. “I'm arranging the fight for sometime next week. That should be sufficient enough for you to think things over. Again, I must remind you of your situation and what can be done to resolve it. Have a good evening, Miss Zoe.”

Forster was finally gone, but Hange was far from relaxed.

This was her chance to save Levi, but she would have to marry that awful Floch person in return.

The choice was literally between her freedom and his.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'll take any additional X's. Some reviews would be nice too. :D


	7. Confarreatio

Hard to believe a week had come and gone.

And now Hange sat infront of the bronze plate trying to find her reflection, only to be greeted with a blur. The makeshift eye-patch that Levi provided had now been replaced with a fine gold-stitched one.

Her hair was curled up and she put the flame-colored veil over her head in preparation.

When Forster first suggested an alternate path to Hange's future, she was disgusted...knowing flat out that she couldn't marry Floch with everything else she had gone through.

But the opportunity to free Levi...to save his life...was not one she had expected to be laid out infront of her.

It felt like a punishment, years of pushing back against her parents the idea of marriage now coming back to haunt her. Perhaps if she had just listened to them while they were still alive, Hange could have been happy with a more suitable husband. 

She heard Erwin coming into the room from behind her.

“I hope it would not be inappropriate of me to say that you look lovely, Hange.”

Hange tried to put on a positive face for him. “Thank you.”

The senator, however, could tell something was troubling her. “Though I can't help but feel that this isn't what you really want.”

It clearly wasn't. “Forster is right,” she said. “I have nothing… But if I can free Levi, maybe that alone would give me some peace in this world.”

“I hope you keep him to his word,” said Erwin. “He's not a man I trust lightly with that.”

“I will.” Hange would see that the arrangements would be made for Levi to get the freedom he rightfully deserved. It was already hard enough agreeing to the marriage and to have the wedding date so quickly as it was. She had no family to speak on her behalf, so she had no choice but to leave most of the wedding arrangements to the Forsters.

Aside from having Erwin as a witness and support, Hange was truly alone.

She was fortunate that she could not see very well. She could sense everyone in attendance at the ceremony keeping her eyes on her, as if waiting for her to make any foul move.

As much as Hange wanted to cry, she would hold back. She would close her eyes and remind herself why...or who she was doing all of this for.

“Hange...”

 _'Levi will be free,'_ she told herself over and over.

“Miss Zoe!”

Hange was snapped back into reality. The celebrant was calling to her.

And beyond the veil, Hange could see Floch across from her being bored and annoyed. His father was standing behind him, getting agitated and impatient.

The celebrant leaned over to whisper to her. “The vows, Miss Zoe...”

She paused, then took a deep breath. The words she was required to utter might as well have been her last. The death of Hange, in her mind, for she did not know what kind of person she would become after all of this.

“Ubi tu Gaius, ibi ego Gaia...”

…

The wedding dinner, that night, was held in Erwin's peristylum. The affair was as grand as loud as Hange expected it would be. Instead of mingling with guests however, Hange remained at her seat at the main table, fiddling with her cup of wine.

She hadn't forgotten that in a couple of hours, she would have to consummate this marriage with Floch. She wondered if she drank enough, then maybe she would get so sick that Floch would be disgusted and delay the inevitable for a day or two.

Her thoughts were disrupted when she heard yelling. “Get in there now!” a voice commanded. “Don't leave the guests waiting!”

Hange could see a slavedriver at one of the doorways leading in a new group of slaves. They had come to assist as attendants to the wedding guests. She realized that these were Forster's slaves.

Then her heart sank when at the end of the line, as she feared, she saw Levi.

She couldn't look him in the eyes. It hurt to do so.

Levi took one glance at Hange and felt crushed. He couldn't bear the sight of the ring on her finger, the one which indicated her pledge and loyalty to another man.

He knew why she had done it. When Floch teased him about the fact that he and Hange were getting married, he at first didn't believe him. But then he learned that Levi was going to get his freedom as part of the deal. So, he realized...that was what Forster offered to Hange that she could not say 'no' to.

 _'Idiot',_ Levi thought to himself. He was not worth throwing her whole life away for. And he had no faith that the Forsters would even keep to their end of the bargain.

But maybe it wasn't too late. He knew the Forsters only orchestrated this whole affair for money. If he could somehow get to Hange and tell her about her father's will, perhaps tonight could be changed somehow.

He was supposed to be going around and serve refreshments to the guests. But he would try to get closer to where Hange was with every step he took.

Unknown to him, Floch was catching onto what Levi was doing as he was getting closer to the main wedding party. He could also see Hange getting up. “I'm going to the latrine,” she told him.

“Are you?” Floch asked grabbing her by the arm before she could get up. “You don't want to miss the entertainment I have in store.”

“Wh-what entertainment?” Hange asked nervously.

Floch then stood up. “Everyone! Could I have your attention please!” The loud voice of the bridegroom brought silence to the crowd. Even the boisterous music had stopped. “It appears we have a celebrity guest in attendance...the famous gladiator of the Empire known as 'Levi the Slayer'.”

There were whispers among the guests as all eyes were soon on Levi, who was just as confused as Hange was.

“Of course, you wouldn't recognize him now,” said Floch. “I think it's important to remind everyone that gladiators are nothing more than slaves. He may look like an idol when he's fighting in his armor in the arena. But here right now, his only purpose is to clean up other people's shit. Observe.”

Floch took some of the bloodied squid from his dinner plate and flicked it straight into Levi's face. The squid had a colored sauce which stained Levi's face and nearly blinded his eyes upon impact. 

Most of the guests chuckled. They took delight in seeing a slave humiliated.

But Hange was clearly not impressed. “What are you doing?!” she hissed at Floch.

“Relax...wife,” he sneered. “Aren't I entitled to a little fun on our wedding day?”

The crowds seemed to be paying the married couple no mind and so the music and the mingling resumed.

Hange wanted to get up and go to Levi. 

“Not so fast.” Floch stopped her again and leaned in so that no one else could hear. “Don't take me for an idiot! I know you have feelings for that slave. I suggest you keep away from him. As your husband, I now have the authority to kill anyone I suspect of committing adultery with my wife.”

“That's not true!” Hange argued.

“Do you really want to test me on that?”

Hange was speechless. She stormed off from Floch. Levi was no longer within eyesight. Her emotions were a mixture of fury and heartbreak. 

She went into the crowds, not caring if Floch were to follow and found Forster.

“Sir?”

“Ah, Hange, please. We're family now. Feel free to refer to me as 'father'.”

But Hange was never going to do that, her solemn vow. “We need to discuss our agreement regarding Levi. You did plan to free him, did you not?”

“Indeed, I haven't forgotten. Freeing a slave is not an overnight process, my dear. But rest assured, the arrangements are being made.”

Hange was starting to believe him less and less. She was ready to lose it. But then she felt Erwin's hands on her shoulders.

“Hange, perhaps you should get some fresh air,” he suggested. Erwin was getting concerned about things getting escalated. He thought it would help if Hange had a quieter place to vent her frustrations.

As they stepped away, Floch went over to his father. “I can't believe you still intend to free that slave!”

“I am a man of my word, boy,” his father said. “Of course, things could easily change if any wrongdoing were to occur on his part.” Forster casually walked away, almost as if giving Floch a sign.

And in that moment, Floch had a sneaky idea.

In one fell swoop, he was going to exploit Levi's two biggest weaknesses...a short temper and Hange.

Levi was cleaning the mess from his face that Floch created when he came up behind him.

“Didn't believe me when I said I was going to marry her...huh, Slayer? You'd think she'd be a little more grateful that anyone would take pity on her. I'm going to need something stronger to get through tonight...”

Levi knew exactly what he was talking about and did his best to not pay attention to any of it.

But Floch was catching on. 

“Hmm...guess I'll have to do it from behind so I won't have to look at her face. Having to do that forever though…just adds to the things that are going to be rough...”

Floch suddenly felt himself thrown against the nearest table by Levi.

The crashing noise led to screams and silence.

Levi's hands were on Floch's neck while everyone was looking on.

“Stop him!” Forster cried out. “He's trying to murder my son!”

Quickly, the guards came and grabbed Levi.

Hange and Erwin arrived on the scene to see Levi being arrested and Floch leaning against a broken table struggling to breathe.

“No!” Hange cried out. “Levi!!!”

Forster stopped her from getting any closer. “Get back,” he ordered.

There was one glance between Hange and Levi, and they both knew that the last little chance Levi had left at ever being freed was now gone. An execution for him was more inevitable.

As Forster was calling an end to the festivities, Hange dropped to the floor in despair.

How could she had been so naive? So stupid?

“Hange?”

Erwin was behind her trying to console her. 

“They were never going to free him...” she told him. “Why did I think...?”

Hange found herself suddenly scooped up by the bridesmaids. “It's time, milady!”

They seemed very excited. Of course they were just strangers to Hange tasked with assisting her. They were blind or ignorant to the pain she was now feeling.

At first Hange was confused. Then, she got separated from Erwin, she realized where the bridesmaids were taking her.

Her feet were moving but the rest of her was not.

 _'This is wrong'_ , she told herself. If Levi was no longer being freed, she should have no obligation to Floch or his father.

But she knew it was too late. The vows had already been made and a marriage of this sorts would be much harder to break.

“What's wrong mistress?” one of the bridesmaids asked her. “Aren't you happy?”

Floch was now likely back at his house and Hange was now being dragged there. Her mind was screaming for her to do something...find a way out...anything to avoid going into that house. 

Floch had two more glasses of wine. “Put that down!” his father demanded. “The procession's on its way.”

“Oh I'll need this, believe me!” he snapped back at his father, gulping the wine. He was clearly starting to slur in his speech. “Are you happy now, that I'm chained to this beast, forever?!”

“You will thank me in time, when you have any denari left to your name. Now I'll leave the house to the two of you tonight and return in the morning.”

“Thanks alot,” Floch replied sarcastically. He could barely stand under his own power.

After his father left through the back of the domus, Floch heard approaching noise from the main entry and sighed.

The procession was coming. 

Before he could get there however, there was a strange sound and some gasps.

He got to the front door to see Hange on her knees, as if having collapsed. The people behind her were murmuring.

“What the Hades are you doing?!” Floch asked her. 

One of the men outside looked nervously on Hange. “She...she fell, my lord.”

“Big deal! Just get up and let's get this over with...”

“But my lord, 'tis a bad omen for the bride to trip on the threshold...”

“Hmphf! The gods have already brought me enough misery,” said Floch as he forcefully pulled Hange up. “Now get lost!” he told the party standing outside and slammed the door on them.

Hange had little time to dread on the fact that she was now alone with him.

Floch was quick to reach for the Heracles knot wrapped around Hange just below her breasts but she quickly flung his arm away. 

“Don't touch me!” She hissed. “I want out of this!”

“Is this some kind of joke?” Floch asked. “You're the one who agreed to this marriage.”

“Our agreement was that I marry you and Levi would go free!”

“Ha! He had his chance and he blew it. It's not my fault that he tried to kill me.”

Hange was starting to suspect that was a lie. In any case she yelled at him, “I WANT A DIVORCE!!!”

She didn't expect a hand to suddenly strike her hard in the face causing her to fall to the side.

Floch was now angrily looming over her. “You think my father is going to let you walk away from this so easily? Well...too late for that! I didn't want this either. But since I already went through the trouble of marrying you, I might as well get what's rightfully mine out of it!”

His demeanor, along with the stench of alcohol from his breath made Hange shiver. She knew where this would go next. The fear took such hold that she could not move.

Floch smirked, seemingly taking pleasure in Hange's helpless situation.

“I'll be right back,” he told her in a threatening tone. “And if you know what's good for you, you better not move.”

He went to the front door knowing that a few guards were outside. “No one is to come in here tonight,” he ordered them. “No matter what you hear. Just make sure to...”

There was a sudden crash coming from the side of the house.

Floch and his guards ran over to see Hange scrambling to get up from the ground. She must have climbed out from the nearby window.

“Hey!”

As soon as Hange saw them, she took off in the opposite direction.

“After her!!!” Floch ordered. 

Hange was moving as fast as her feet could carry her into the streets. Floch and the guards were catching up fast.

Wherever there was a large group of people passing through, Hange would try blend in with them. But she soon realized that her bridal dress was causing her to stand out. She needed to get into the darkness.

After nearly tripping over several people, Hange zipped into the nearest alleyway. It was a dead end, but there was a barrel that she quickly got on top of. Thank the gods, the wall was not very tall at all.

She looked back. Unfortunately, Floch spotted her.

She needed to hurry.

Hange jumped onto a thin hay bale on the other side. Her bum was now really sore from the impact. But Floch was going to come around soon. She searched for any place to hide to keep her focus away from the pain.

Finally, after turning into another alley, Hange found an open doorway. There was no light so she had no idea where she was. She stumbled inside tripping on unknown objects.

The noise was bound to attract someone and sure enough, it did.

A light began to appear from an oil lamp.

“Who's in here?” an unfamiliar voice called. 

The only assurance Hange had was that it a feminine voice but she did not sound too happy.

“You're trespassing on private property,” the voice warned.

The light of the oil lamp finally exposed Hange cowering in the corner. Seeing the broken ceramics all around her, Hange realized that she had stumbled in the back entry of someone's home.

The light in turn, reflected the presence of a young slave girl with dark hair who was stunned to see Hange there. 

The slave girl heard the shouting of men and guards outside. _'Perfect timing_ ', she thought. She would get the guards to be rid of the trespasser.

Stepping outside, she saw Floch and his men looking around the nearby alleys. “All this for a filthy Ackerman?!” Floch growled.

The slave girl was surprised at what she just heard.

“You there! Stop!” One of the guards ordered her.

She had no choice but to obey.

“Slave girl!” Floch barked at her. “Did you see a woman come by here in a bridal dress, and a gold patch over one eye?”

The girl hesitated (having come to a realization about the trespasser), then pointed to an opposite alley. “I saw someone go that way, wearing orange I think.”

“Come on!” Floch ordered his guards. The men all headed in the same direction. 

Once they were gone, the girl returned to where Hange was hiding. She was now curled up in a corner sobbing.

The girl got down to her level. “They're gone now,” she assured Hange.

Hange looked up confused. “Wha? Why did you help me?”

“I...I heard them say you were helping an Ackerman.”

“You're an Ackerman?” Hange asked her.

“Partly,” the girl nodded. “That is enough, unfortunately, to keep my slave status intact. Do you want to come inside the house?”

In that moment, Hange observed the room she was in realizing that it was a mere storage room. “Your master won't mind it?” She asked.

“The family won't be back for a couple of days. They left things in my care.”

The two left the storage room together then went around the building to another entryway with a stairwell. The building they were in happened to be an insula containing several modest apartments. Thankfully, the place was quiet. The apartment they came to on the top floor was well kept for a family of plebians.

The girl led Hange into a small bare bedroom. “This is the son's room. He won't notice if you rest for a night here.”

Hange still felt quite uncertain. But she was exhausted both physically and emotionally. And all the while, she couldn't help but think what was to become of Levi...and of her. She wouldn't be able to go back to Erwin now. That would put his life in danger, and Hange had already caused enough trouble since arriving in Rome. 

She sat on the bed. “I can't thank you, enough,” she told the girl. “What is your name?”

“It's Mikasa,” she told her. “My name is Mikasa.”

…

When morning came, Hange had nearly forgotten about the nightmarish events that had transpired over the course of the past day.

It was at breakfast, when Mikasa provided her some food, did Hange speak to her about Levi.

“What will you do now?” Mikasa asked curiously.

“I don't know,” said Hange. “I guess I'll have to leave...get as far away from Rome as I possibly can.” It was tearing her up inside. Levi would have wanted her safe. But Hange wanted nothing more than to find Levi and get him out of Rome, too. 

“Well, you won't get very far in your wedding gown,” Mikasa told her. “My mistress gifted me some of her old clothes but they're a bit big for me. I'll go downstairs and get them. They might be big enough for you.”

Hange looked out the window, and was surprised to find crowds were starting to pile into the streets and head in one direction. It looked like they were all heading to an event of sorts.

Mikasa decided that she would inquire about what was happening, which was why it took a little longer than usual for her to get back upstairs.

“They're all heading to the Colosseum,” she told Hange. “Levi the Slayer is fighting today.”

Hange knew sadly what that meant.

Today was the day...the day she thought she could avoid.

This was match that was made for Levi to die. Forster intended to make this the ultimate spectacle that would attract nearly all of Rome.

Hange grabbed the clothes that Mikasa brought and quickly got dressed. Realizing, that she still had the Forster wedding ring on her finger, Hange angrily pulled it off and chucked it out the window. Whatever happens from here on out, Hange hoped that she can forget about all of it.

“I have to save Levi,” Hange said with determination.

“How do you plan on doing that?” asked Mikasa.

Hange was already heading out, not putting much thought into anything. “I don't know. But I have to do something...even if it means I die trying.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Levi, you doofus. XD
> 
> So...we still want Floch to die, yes? ;)


	8. Iudicium Deorum

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I'm thinking after this story is done of doing a small spinoff fic about Mikasa, which better explains her presence in this story here.

The gate slowly rose open and light seeped in for the first time in hours.

But for Levi, this was no sunrise. 

With his wrists and ankles chained together, Levi was forced into the open arena accompanied by guards on both sides. He was still weak from the beating he received from guards shortly after being taken away from the wedding party. 

The Colosseum roared with cheers of a full house chanting his name as they had many times before.

Drums were beating in anticipation of the show that Levi would be forced to put on...his last.

As he got closer to the center of the arena, Levi looked up. He recognized Hange's senator friend from the wedding sitting in one of the front booths looking despondent. And in a more luxurious booth to the right of him were none other than Forster and his son.

He was surprised that Hange wasn't with them. But what did it matter anyway? For there would be plenty of spears and daggers to finish off piercing his heart.

When he got to the center, the guards readjusted his chains. His wrists and ankles were no longer bound. The guards then pulled out two longer chains that came from below the ground and cuffed each of Levi's legs.

The trumpets sounded and the crowds fell silent. Forster rose from his seat.

“Citizens of Rome!!!” he bellowed. “I'm sure you were all shocked and amazed to hear of Levi the Slayer's sudden return to our fair city. It is with a heavy heart, however, to announce that our beloved champion of the Empire and so-called Strongest of Humankind has fallen from glory. Behold, he no longer bears the fine armor of his famous stature. Instead, he stands before Rome as a criminal, of lowly Ackerman worth, charged with numerous crimes against me and my family!”

There was much loud murmuring amongst the crowds. Levi looked down as the weak sheet metal given to him as his only means of defense barely covering the gray slave tunic he wore. And they had yet to give him any weapons. Were they even going to?

“The first offense...is for having insulted me and all the gratitude which I had bestowed upon him by attempting to escape his debts under the shadows of the terrible tragedy that occurred in Pompeii…”

Everyone in the stands gasped.

“The second offense...before a large number of witnesses, did this traitor had the audacity to attack and try to murder my only son!”

The crowd was now yelling in shock and anger. 

“And the final offense: one which I was horrified to recently learn...is having committed dalliance and seduction of my son's newly-wedded wife!”

Levi suppressed his anger amidst the loud cries of the Colosseum. He could see Floch smirking from where he sat knowing that his father bought his disgusting lie.

“To all of these charges, the Slayer has pleaded 'not guilty'. In any court he would be immediately executed. However, with the Emperor's blessing, I have chosen instead to let his strength and skill decide the price he must pay for his crimes. Let us commence now with the Trial of the Gods. May they show him mercy!”

Forster casually threw a dagger in Levi's direction. And Levi knew that object was going to be his one and only means of defense. He put all his determination into catching it but the dagger still fell quite a distance. Levi had no choice but to run for it, which he did until the chains on his legs stopped him from going further.

His arm stretched out hopefully. His fingertips were so close to reaching the handle. 

A gate to the west opened, and Levi's first opponents were already rushing in...three large men who were fully armed and protected.

The odds were truly against him, but he decided that after all the pain and humiliation he had to endure, Levi the Slayer would go out from this world as the gladiator he was made to be.

A guard was watching the show from a gate within the tunnels. It seemed Levi was able to maneuver his opponents and got one of them to unintentionally chop off one of his leg chains. 

He was distracted by a noise behind him and could see a woman whose face was partially shielded with a veil.

“You! You're not allowed in here!” He informed the woman.

“Oh sorry,” she replied smiling. “I must have gotten lost trying to find my seat.”

Getting a better look at the woman, the guard start to show a side-smile. “Lost are you? Maybe I can show another way around that corner there.”

The woman knew what this guard's real intent was and started to get nervous. “Um...it's okay, I think I can figure it out myself.”

The guard grabbed her arm. “What's the rush?” he asked her. “No lady comes around these tunnels unless they're looking for a little fun, if you know what I...”

He suddenly lost his voice when a rope came around his neck strangling him. He could feel someone on his back pulling at the rope but couldn't see who it was. His face was even starting to change color.

It didn't take long before the guard lost all consciousness and collapsed infront of the woman's feet. 

Mikasa got off the man's back, finally letting go of the rope.

Hange removed her veil and looked down at the body. “Heh-heh. Did you really have to kill him?” she asked Mikasa.

“I don't think I pulled that hard. Besides, I didn't like where the situation was going.”

Hange sighed in agreement. The women then heard some approaching noises.

“We need to hide the body, quick,” said Mikasa.

They quickly carried the guard and placed him behind a huge stack of hay, then covered him with a tarp.

Another guard appeared from around the corner and looked about. Hange and Mikasa kept themselves hidden from view until the guard got frustrated. “Where the hell is everyone?” he mumbled.

Once he was gone, they came out of hiding. Hange peered through the bar gate, trying desperately to see out into the arena through her one bad eye. From a distance she could see Levi struggling with two or three opponents. It was impossible to decipher from the spectators' cheers whether or not the fight was in Levi's favor.

Levi normally fought with strength. But this time, he had to fight with his wits and speed. 

He managed to trip one of the fighters with his one tight chain and slash one man's leg with the dagger. In the midst of struggle, Levi was finally able to cut off one man's belt injuring him and getting his spatha. 

He got the jump and was able to jab it straight though the head of one fighter. Pulling the weapon out, he immediately turned and slashed it though the stomach of another that was approaching him from behind.

Forster and Floch were looking on. Even in a physically weak condition with little defense, Levi was still able to take on the strongest of opponents. But they could tell it wasn't going to last forever. It was obvious how exhausted the Slayer was getting.

“He's truly a man who refuses to die,” said Forster. 

Still, minutes later, Levi brought the spatha down on the final man. All three of his opponents now lied dead. Some with limbs removed.

The people cheered while Levi stood on wobbly legs turning to see Forster. Beneath his blood soaked face, his one eye furiously glared at the father and son in their booth. Even Floch was taken aback in terror.

Whatever came next, Levi would take it. 

Hange never felt more relieved seeing Levi standing alone. But then, she saw Floch angrily speaking to his father. “Father, you said he would die! Do something!!”

“Patience, boy,” Forster said, unknown to Hange. “I still have another trick up my sleeve.”

Hange then saw him whispering something to a soldier standing close to him. To her shock, the soldier pulled out a bow and arrow pointing it seemingly at Levi.

“NO!” Hange cried.

It was too late, of course. The soldier shot the arrow.

To everyone's shock, the arrow scratched Levi's forearm, causing the weapon in his hand to fly out. The Colosseum was full of gasps. Levi cried out in pain and his arm started to bleed.

Mikasa pulled Hange away and back into hiding as the gate opened and a new horde of men were rushed out into the arena. “Remove the bodies and any loose weapons,” someone ordered.

The guards did as they were told, the bodies of Levi's opponents were removed as well as the fallen sword Levi had only temporarily acquired. Some were also cleaning off as much of the blood from the ground as possible.

“No need to re-chain him,” Forster ordered. “He's earned that much.”

Watching the men rush back in, Hange wanted nothing more than to go out there and choke that cheating bastard Forster to death...his son (after last night) as well. Mikasa had to hold her back until it was safe to come out again. They were both frighteningly confused by what was happening. 

“What are they doing?” Hange wondered. 

Even Levi could not comprehend what was to come while he tried to nurse his bleeding (and now possibly incapacitated) arm...only that he knew that the fight was far from over. 

Forster then motioned something to the nearby soldiers. He then stood up and spoke to everyone once more. “Levi the Slayer has fought well. He has faced the judgment of men but now, he must face the judgment of beasts. And in the name of fairness, he shall fight them with only the same weapons that they themselves possess.”

The crowd was appalled. Some were even booing. Even Senator Erwin

Hange and Mikasa then starting hearing strange noises coming from other parts of the tunnels. Growls they've never heard from any living being. 

“Oh no...” said Mikasa.

Hange's blood was turning cold as well.

They now realized what the noises were.

In the arena, two smaller gates on opposite ends of the Colosseum were slowly opening. Levi couldn't see, at first. He saw small pairs of eyes, three pairs from each gate lurking in the shadows. And then, they appeared in the sun.

Large African Lions. A total of six.

All eyed Levi from a distance with an insatiable hunger.

“We have to do something, now!” Hange said, pulling Mikasa. They headed down another tunnel. Hange was desperate and hoping. If not for an idea, then for divine intervention. Anything...

They came to a dead end and heard two guards talking around the corner. “Heard those cats hadn't eaten anything in days,” one of them bragged. “They're gonna make a meal out of him nice and quick.”

Hange and Mikasa had no choice but take the two guards out. Hange was nowhere near as comfortable with harming a man to the degree that Mikasa clearly was, and that frightened her a bit. But in their situation, there were no other options.

Once the soldiers were both lying on the ground unmoving, Hange's attention turned to a large area of the tunnel. A total of four restless horses were standing side-by-side hooked up to an elegant white chariot.

Mikasa looked at Hange. “You can't be seriously thinking...”

“There's no other choice.” Hange got on the chariot. “I'll need you to open the gate on my say. And once that's done, things will start to move quickly. You'll need to get out of here.”

“Are you sure?” Mikasa asked.

Hange nodded. Mikasa reluctantly went over to where the wheel to open the gate was in anticipation.

“I can't thank you enough for helping me,” Hange said, knowing this would likely be last time the two women would see each other again.

“We Ackermans have to endure more than other slaves. I was fortunate enough to have a family that's shown me kindness, but even that's not the same. I just hope Levi gets his freedom someday.”

“Mikasa...I hope one day you get yours too.”

Outside, the lions were forming a half circle around Levi, drawn to the scent of his bleeding arm.

“Now!” said Hange.

Mikasa opened the gate.

Lions were a new one for Forster, Levi thought.

And with one leg still chained and no weapons for defense, he knew he stood no chance. All Levi could do was close his eyes and accept his fate. His anger towards the Forsters would subside for a brief moment. 

It hurt to think of Hange. But he would not dwell on what she had become now. Instead, his last thoughts would be of the times they had together, the time he started to feel something for her that day back when he worked in her home.

Hopefully he wouldn't feel a thing when the first lion attacked.

The spectators were yelling and whooping at the unexpected sight of a gate opening and a four-horse chariot racing into the arena. They thought it was all part of the show.

But this wasn't what Forster had planned. “WHAT IN HADES IS THIS?!”

Levi opened his eyes and could see the lions now had there backs turned from him. Their focus was no longer on Levi but on the mysterious chariot making a run around the outer rim of the arena.

The lions immediately went to pursue it. 

Hange had never driven a chariot before. She struggled to control the horses but still keep them moving. With the lions now approaching her, she was in a panic. Then she realized that inside the chariot was a holder containing a small ax and a single pilum. 

Nervously, she held the reigns with one hand and grabbed the pilum with the other. One lion was now running faster towards her than the others hoping to get a bite of the horses.

Hange's hand shook. She was certain to miss. Yet still, she put her all into throwing the pilum.

It shot straight in-between the eyes of the charging lion causing it to fall dead.

The entire Colosseum went wild with excitement. They had never seen such a sight before them.

“YES!!!” Hange cheered. She never imagined she would succeed. 

But her reveling moment of triumph was short-lived. She looked ahead and saw she was about to crash into a wall.

“OH NO! NO! NO!”

Hange yanked the horses as hard as she could. The turn she desperately needed them to make was too sharp. And before she knew it, the entire chariot was flipping over...and over.

Levi's eyes had to be deceiving him. For a brief moment, he swore that he was seeing the goddess Bellona, riding on her four-horse chariot into battle.

Once he realized who it was...the one person he had never expected...a chariot came crashing and tumbling in his direction, just stopping not too far from him.

Hange fell out and the horses were now broken free. She was lying flat down.

“HANGE?!”

Levi ran to her and was close to touching her until the cursed chain stopped him.

Thank the gods, the lions were now distracted with all the horses running around the arena. Levi would thank them again when he saw Hange slowly getting back up.

Erwin, stunned by the scene before him, quickly left his seat.

Forster yelled out to all the nearby soldiers. “GET DOWN THERE, NOW!!!”

Hange weakly to the overturned chariot to retrieve the small ax and hand it to Levi. “Levi...hurry...”

Levi stretched further and grabbed the handle. He had little time before the soldiers got through the chaos. He quickly took the ax to the chain, freeing his leg at last.

The spectators were now cheering his name again.

Levi hurried towards Hange. But as he was about to get to her, he could see two lions about to charge her from behind.

“HANGE, LOOK OUT!!”

He dove in to shield her, and the two of them rolled right underneath the overturned chariot. 

The lions leapt forwards onto the chariot and again until they clung to the edge of the stands.

And that was the moment the entire Colosseum went into complete chaos. Spectators were now screaming and running for their lives in search of an exit to escape the animals now climbing into and running around in the stands.

Floch and his father could find no escape in the midst of the human stampede. And just when they thought they had a clearing, they came face to face with two lions.

Levi and Hange came out of the chariot to see the lions charging into the Forsters' private booth and the horrifying screams that followed. They couldn't see much else.

Levi looked around. There were still three more lions to deal with, and all of them were feasting on some of the horses. But the distraction wouldn't last long. 

There was still one more horse running around. As soon as it was close, Levi tackled it until he could get it to calm down. He then got on and went back to grab Hange, who was limping and unable to run. “Come on!”

Once they were both on the horse, their focus was on escape.

They rode towards the gate that Hange originally came in through, but now a horde of soldiers were coming through ready to stop them.

“Shit!”

They couldn't stay in the arena long, not with hungry lions still running around.

Suddenly to their surprise, another gate was opening to the east. No guards were coming through. It was their only chance.

Levi got the horse speeding as fast as it could.

Was it Mikasa? Hange wondered. But to their surprise, they managed to get a brief glimpse of Erwin by the gate wheel as they sped past.

There was no stopping or turning back. Hange and Levi had to hurry through the city before any man or beast could come after them. It was hard to do, given people were still running away from the Colosseum.

Erwin could see they were no longer in sight, much to his relief.

“May the gods be with you two,” he uttered in prayer.

…

Levi opened his eyes to a beautiful night sky. It didn't take long for him to realize that what happened in the Colosseum earlier that day was no dream.

He truly had been saved by a goddess, just not Bellona.

He sat up by Hange's side, who was trying to cook a small animal over a campfire. She still had cuts and bruises from what happened at the Colosseum, but otherwise she seemed better.

“You're awake!” Hange said happily. “We were really exhausted trying to get out of there. You had me worried when you passed out.”

They didn't know where exactly they were. There was no sign of cities or villages nearby. This much, at least, allowed Levi to relax.

“Here you go.” Hange handed him some meat on a stick but when Levi took it, he noticed it looked a bit off. There were spots of red and brown, a mixture of burns and blood and even some fur (from what was clearly a rabbit) still stuck on. “Sorry,” she said. “It was my first time hunting.”

“Crazy woman,” Levi chuckled. “You can take down a lion, but can't even cook a rabbit.”

As they were eating, Levi eyed Hange's hand and noticed something missing. “Your ring is gone.”

Hange kept her focus on her food. “Yes...it's something I hope to put behind me. I'm sorry. I really thought I could save you by marrying him.”

Levi then informed her about her father's will and how the Forsters had gotten a hold of it. 

“So that explains it,” she said sadly. “I guess I should have realized what they were really up to.”

“Is there nothing you can do?” Levi asked. He didn't want to think about whether the Forsters were still alive and could be searching for them. “If there was a way to prove...”

“It's just money, Levi. After everything, I can't worry myself about it.”

Levi couldn't believe her intent on leaving everything behind and going with him to wherever he planned on going. Even though she had taken off the ring, he felt that deep down things could no longer be the same between them anymore. So much had changed for both of them in the course of a couple of days.

“We've gotten this far,” said Hange. “We might as well see what it's like outside the Empire. Maybe we could find where the Ackerman clans used to be. Though I'd rather the two of us live here.”

“The edge of the Empire is very far from here,” said Levi. “And even if we made it there, it's a far dangerous place from everything I've heard about it. Your status won't protect you...”

“I don't have a status anymore, Levi. From now on, I just want to be Hange.”

“You would really abandon everything for me?” 

She crawled over to Levi and to his shock, she pressed her lips against his.

“Yes,” she answered catching a breath.

They kissed again. Levi was indulging in it, but reality started slapping him in the face when he spotted her trying to remove her tunic.

“Wait.” His hands immediately pushed her away. “We can't...”

Hange was starting to feel confused, hurt. “What do you mean?! Don't you get it?! I don't care about anything or anyone else but you, Levi!”

“I know,” he said softly. “But...you're still a married woman. If we did this, your honor would be gone...”

The realization hit Hange and she started giggling. Levi couldn't help but be baffled until she explained, “Levi...we...we never consummated...”

His eyes widened. The pain he had held in his heart so long, seemed to dissolve at the words. He wasn't use to feeling joy, but he could feel the slightest tingling of it now. Her marriage to Floch could be annulled.

“And besides,” she said smiling. “I don't want my honor. I want you.”

This time there was no more hesitation. Levi could see the want in her eyes that reflected his own.

Before he knew it, Hange playfully pinned him to the solid earth. 

Between kisses, they began tearing off each other's clothes. They felt so familiar with one another, yet they never touched like this before.

For one night, they would be filled with the passion of Venus, freed only from their true being.

While an Empire was searching for them, the gods would watch over a pair of lovers resting naked in each other's arms deep in the hills of a shrouded night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Did Floch really get eaten by the lion? I had a funny punchline to go with that question, but his sudden entrance and exit from issue 132 kinda ruined that for me.
> 
> Speaking of 132 ...how's everyone doin'?
> 
> Hahahaha...
> 
> ha... ha...
> 
> ha... ha...
> 
> haaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa.....


End file.
